Calming the Storm
by Musical Soul
Summary: Everyone had always wondered why Elsa seemed to have special privileges, why she could leave class so suddenly and not show back up for an hour or two. The teachers all knew why, but no one else did besides Anna. And now Kristoff. Now he knew. And it made his heart ache. - AU story with magic, modern times, eventual Elsa/Kristoff
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello all! I'm back! Wow, it feels like it's been forever. I've been working on quite a few stories, most of them are at about two-thirds finished by now. And I have a couple more ideas for stories that haven't been started on yet. I'm not a super fast writer, as you can tell by now, so things aren't going to be super quick coming out. But, as always, when I start posting a story, I have it completely written and mostly edited. So you don't have to worry about my stories not being completed! They already are when I post the first chapter!**

**I plan on posting one chapter every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for this story until I have them all up. I'm not going to tell you how many chapters there are, because that would be no fun at all ;D but I will tell you that I'm 'round about 50k words total for this one. So that's your clue as to how long this is :) Anyway, this one is kinda angsty, which is apparently my "thing" but, hey, I love reading this kind of stuff. But as always, there is a ton of fluff and ooey-gooey romance. And some sister moments in this one too, which might be my favorite part!**

**Hope you all enjoy this story! And for those of you wondering when the next Elsa/Noah story is coming out, trust me, it WILL get completed! Be patient with me, I kinda have writer's block on that one. But I'll do my best to get it out next! Much love all, and enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 1

Elsa let out a ragged, bone-chilling scream. She writhed on her bed, trying desperately to get it out of her, to just let it escape. It wasn't normally this difficult. Usually, she would spend a bit groaning in pain before it all released in one big rush. But this time was different, and she had no idea why. She'd never screamed so much in her life. Her throat was already raw, but she had tried and failed to keep quiet so many times already that she gave up attempting to suppress her yells.

Magic raced through her veins like liquid fire, burning her up from the inside out. Her normally cool skin felt like it was blistering with heat. Sweat ran in rivulets down the sides of her face; it coated her torso and made her shirt cling uncomfortably to her skin. An anguished cry tore from her lips, and she squeezed her eyes shut, praying for it to stop. Another sharp spike of pain raced through her chest, making her jerk uncontrollably. She curled herself into a ball, gasping for breath, trembling with the intensity of the pain.

Her magic was begging to be let go, but she didn't have any idea how to do it. She'd never had to think about it before. These attacks were usually completely uncontrollable. The magic released on its own time. But for some reason, it wasn't releasing this time, almost as if it was stuck, unable to get out. She pulled desperately at her hair, biting her pillow as another shock of pain washed through her. It muffled her screams, but only a little.

Finally, _finally_, she felt that familiar tug in her chest. She was so spent by this point that she didn't make a sound as the magic escaped her. A sound like a small explosion reverberated around the room. Her eyes were closed, but she didn't have to open them to know what her room looked like. A miniature winter disaster. Snow piled up in the corners of the room several feet high. Every surface was coated in a thick layer of ice. Wind howled and raged around her. On a good day, the storm would stop after about ten minutes; but she'd never experienced an episode like this before, so she wasn't sure how long it would last this time.

By this point, the pain was constant, but less intense than it had been before her magic released. Still, it was enough to be considered just short of agony. She curled up even tighter, pulling her knees to her chest, breathing heavily. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and ran down the sides of her face into her hairline. The minutes ticked by slowly, her own personal blizzard still raging out of control. Misery wasn't even a strong enough word to describe what she was going through.

Eventually, _blessedly_, the pain began to lessen. The storm slowed to a stop around her as the last of her magic left her. Elsa released the tension in her muscles, sinking into her mattress. Her chest heaved with each desperate breath she took, gulping in air that she hadn't been able to get enough of just moments before. Her entire body tingled, all her muscles felt like jelly.

She should have known it would be this bad. The build up was much quicker than normal this time, much more powerful than it usually was. It had taken less than fifteen minutes for her to go from fully functioning to incapacitated. It was terrifying how quickly it had happened this time. She fervently hoped that it wasn't going to be like this from now on. If it was, it might end up killing her.

While she was attempting to catch her breath, Elsa opened one eye and glanced at her room. The snow and ice were both completely gone, just like normal. She was beginning to wonder if she was crazy. There was never any evidence of her outbursts. If it wasn't for the way her family acted, she might actually believe that she'd gone insane. What she was going through was anything but normal. She'd already been shipped off to several different labs, numerous different research teams doing their best to figure out what was wrong with her. But none of them had any help or information to offer her. They were stumped.

She'd been told that she was a miracle, a living, breathing impossibility. She shouldn't be able to exist. And yet, she was alive and seemingly well, some unknown force flowing through her veins. She'd taken to calling it magic, because what else could it be? She'd been tested for every sickness and disease known to man. She had nothing, no condition that they could pinpoint, nothing at all wrong with her physically. She was perfectly healthy. Aside from the fact that ice and snow quite literally exploded out of her at random intervals.

A tentative knock on her door brought Elsa out of her miserable thoughts. The timid voice of her twelve year old sister followed shortly after.

"Elsa?"

She had to swallow several times before she could get her voice to work. "Not now, Anna. Please," she begged. "It was bad this time. I don't want you to—" She stopped abruptly as the door opened, turning her head to the side to see Anna slipping into her room. She couldn't help the tiny smile that rose to her lips. Anna's hair was a complete wreck, tangled and knotted and sticking up in the strangest places. Her sleep shirt and shorts were wrinkled, and she looked as if she'd been sleeping hard not too long ago.

Anna plopped down on the end of Elsa's bed, mercifully keeping her distance. She sent a wary glance toward her older sister, her blue eyes seeming to analyze every tiny detail of Elsa's appearance. Elsa let her head fall back against her pillow, not having the strength to hold it up any longer. She was still breathing rather heavily and she had yet to properly cool off, but aside from that she was all right. She ached more than normal, but that wasn't bothering her too much just yet.

Elsa exhaled shakily, staring up at her ceiling. "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's not your fault," Anna said quietly.

Tears stung Elsa's eyes, a few slipping out once again. "I feel like it is," she said in a small voice.

"But it's not," Anna insisted.

No matter how many times Anna told her that, Elsa still felt guilty. Before she had a chance to stop them, tears were rolling down her cheeks. She shook with silent sobs, wishing with all her heart that Anna could have had a normal big sister. One that could actually give her a hug.

As if Anna had read her mind, she started crawling up beside Elsa, reaching for her. Elsa jerked away, nearly rolling off the bed. "Anna, don't. Please. You know you can't." Her voice was thick with a desperate, aching sorrow.

Anna sighed. "I know. But I don't care right now. Sit up."

"Anna," Elsa groaned. Her younger sister only glared at her. With a sigh, Elsa relented and sat up, trembling slightly as she did so. Her muscles still weren't fully cooperating. Anna moved toward her just slightly and she flinched involuntarily, pulling back. "Anna, don't—"

"I _know_, Elsa. No bare skin. Please calm down. I was just going for the blanket."

"Sorry," Elsa mumbled.

Anna shook her head, smiling just a little. "It's fine. Now cover up." She reached down for Elsa's covers, which had come completely untucked due to her tossing and turning. Anna draped them across Elsa's shoulders, careful to avoid touching her skin.

"But I'm still hot," Elsa whined.

"I don't care. You need a hug." And with that, she wrapped her arms around her sister and pulled her close.

The statement alone would have been enough to bring Elsa to tears again, but after going so long without any form of physical contact, Anna's small arms wrapped around her caused Elsa to sob. Terrible, heartbreaking, anguished sobs. It had been so long since she'd been held like that. Actually, she couldn't remember if she'd _ever_ been held like that. Anna shushed her gently and rocked them back and forth, acting such the little mother that Elsa's heart ached even more. She couldn't have asked for a better sister.

"It's okay, Elsie. I promise, it will be okay," she said softly, once Elsa had calmed down a little.

Elsa's heart twisted painfully at the nickname. "I hope you're right, Anna. I sure hope you're right."

They were quiet for a long time, enjoying some quality time together, something that they rarely got to do. Elsa was almost always locked away in her room these days. Not that she was required to be. She just felt safer there. She didn't have to worry about hurting someone if she stayed in her room. It was a lonely existence, but she didn't care as long as it kept her family safe.

Eventually, Elsa sat up a little more, gently nudging her sister away. She wiped away the rest of her tears as she glanced to her right. "Thanks," she said quietly. "I needed that." Anna smiled sadly at her. Elsa returned it before glancing down at her lap. "You should probably go back to bed. It's late and we have school tomorrow."

"Can't I stay in here with you? Just for tonight?" Anna gave her older sister her best puppy dog eyes.

Elsa's heart melted at the sight, but she knew she couldn't give in. "I'm sorry, Anna. You know you can't stay." It hurt so much to say that, especially when she saw Anna's eyes well up with tears. But it just wasn't safe.

Anna sighed and slipped down to the end of the bed, climbing off and standing by Elsa's side. "All right. I guess I'll see you in the morning, then. Goodnight, Elsa. I love you," she said softly, making her way quietly to the door.

"Love you too," Elsa whispered. "So very much."

When her door clicked shut, she allowed her tears to fall once again. Anna never liked to listen when Elsa told her not to come in her room, so their father had told her that Elsa's room was off-limits. He knew how much Elsa feared hurting anyone, and did what he could to make things easier for her. Elsa had actually never told her sister that the rule was her idea. Anna was under the impression that their father came up with it. But he only enforced it because Elsa begged him to. She hated that she had to push her family away, but she would do whatever she could to keep them safe. Even if it meant keeping them at arm's length.

Anna didn't like rules very much though, so she often came in Elsa's room at night, even though she was told not to. Sometimes it actually made Elsa happy, the thought that her sister wanted to comfort her even though she was specifically told she couldn't be in Elsa's room. But most of the time, she just wanted to keep Anna safe. She thought she might have to start locking her door, just to keep Anna out. That thought made her stomach twist sickeningly, but if it was what she had to do, she would do it. Anna's safety was more important than anything else.

It took Elsa ages to fall asleep that night. The last remnants of pain stayed with her for hours, making her muscles and bones ache. Anna's visit also weighed heavily on her heart. It was a blessing to be held like that, especially after so long. But it also terrified her to no end. She couldn't let Anna get used to coming to comfort her. One day, something terrible would happen because of that. It had to stop now, while she still had the resolve to do it. By the time she finally fell asleep, Elsa had no more tears left to shed, but she'd made the decision to firmly refuse any more comfort from Anna. It was for the best.

* * *

Elsa sat in her chair at the breakfast table, pushing her food around her plate with her fork. Her muscles still ached from the night before, and she still felt a little nauseous from the encounter with Anna. It had been another horrible night, the third one since the first a few months prior, near the end of her freshman year. Anna had come to her door every time it happened, but Elsa had refused to let her comfort her each time. Anna had been upset the first time, but respected her sister's wishes and just sat at the end of the bed. The second time, Anna had gotten angry with her, told her that there was no reason to refuse comfort, especially when she already had so little in her life. This last time, Elsa had locked the door so that Anna couldn't come in.

Anna had sat outside her door and cried. She didn't talk much, but when she did her tears made the words hard to understand. Elsa had cried with her. It hurt to turn her sister away like that, but she just didn't want to risk Anna being in the room after nights like that. It was beginning to take Elsa longer to calm down those nights, and she would never be able to live with herself if she hurt Anna in any way.

The silence at the table was oppressive. Elsa wished she could excuse herself and just go back up to her room, but her parents always insisted that she finish her breakfast. Dutifully, she took another bite, then set her fork down when she nearly gagged.

"Elsa," her mother's voice said softly. She glanced up, catching her mother's look of concern before she turned her gaze back to her plate. "How was last night?"

Tears stung Elsa's eyes, and she reached up angrily to wipe them away. She opened her mouth to respond, but no sound came out. She wanted to lie, to say that it was fine, that it hadn't been that bad. But the frequency of these more intense episodes was starting to terrify her. Glancing back up at her mother, Elsa forced herself to respond. "It was…rough," she said quietly.

Her mother's brow creased with worry. "Another bad one?" she asked.

Elsa nodded. "Yes ma'am," she whispered. She hated the look of pain in her mother's eyes, so she dropped her gaze once more. She was causing her family so much misery and heartache. Never mind that it wasn't her fault. It always felt like it was.

Anna chose that moment to come bounding into the kitchen from the direction of the stairs. Her lively demeanor dropped instantly once she noticed Elsa sitting at the table. A lump formed in Elsa's throat. She picked up her fork again and stared at her food, trying to avoid her sister's gaze. She felt Anna's eyes on her the entire time she was moving to take her seat.

Their parents both noticed the unusual tension between the two. Their mother glanced between them before speaking. "Did something happen between you two?" Neither of the girls answered. Choosing a different angle, their mother asked, "Anna, did you go to Elsa's room last night?" Her voice was stern, but there was a hint of softness there, as if she understood why Anna would do it.

Anna shrugged in response.

Their father chose that time to speak up, his voice tired, and a little sad. "Anna, sweetheart. I really wish you'd listen. You know it makes your sister uncomfortable. I don't want to lock you in your room at night, but I will if I must," he said, frowning at Anna.

"Thomas," their mother said softly.

"No, Helen, I'm serious. Anna knows the rules. I have to remind her of them all the time. If she can't—"

"It doesn't matter," Anna muttered, cutting their father off. He glanced at her with shock. She picked at her food as she explained. "Elsa wouldn't let me in. She locked the door. So it doesn't matter. I'm fine, Dad. And I won't do it again. I promise," she said angrily, shooting Elsa an injured glance.

Elsa had to force air into her lungs. A few tears slipped down her cheeks. It nearly killed her to hear the anger, the _hurt_ in Anna's voice. She'd done what she had to do! Why couldn't Anna see that? Why didn't Anna understand that she was dangerous? "Anna, I—"

"Don't," her sister said sharply. "Just…don't, Elsa."

Elsa's shoulders shook with a silent sob and she tilted her head down, trying desperately not to lose it in front of her family. But it hurt _so much_ and it was getting harder to breathe, so she pushed back from the table and fled the room. Her mother called after her, but she kept going, all the way upstairs and into her room. She locked the door behind herself and collapsed onto her bed as aching sobs escaped her lips. Anna was the only tiny bit of comfort that she ever had, even if they could never touch. But she was such a stubborn thing, and the one time that Elsa had let her self-control waver, Anna had taken advantage. The problem being that she expected Elsa to let her comfort her more often.

Elsa just knew that if she let Anna hold her again, she would lose every bit of self-control that she possessed. Once had been hard enough. Even though it hurt, having Anna angry at her was much better than Anna being injured, or worse, dead. Still, she hoped that her sister would see reason. Anna was really the only person that she had to talk to, the only person she was comfortable talking to. With Anna, she could lose control of her emotions and it would still be okay. But showing emotion would be dangerous at school, with anyone else. She was always so close to losing it, so close to curling into a ball and sobbing. So she had to act indifferent at school, couldn't show any emotion. If she showed just a little, she would end up showing it all. And then everyone would find out her secret.

She had spent her entire life, nearly fifteen years, having these outbursts. Granted, for the first several years of her life, they rarely happened. But as she got older, they started happening more often. She was at the point now where there was at least one a week, and more often than not, several. She was getting tired, emotionally and physically. It was hard, _so hard_ to live with this. And it didn't help that she had no one to really offer comfort. Anna could talk to her, but that was it. Her parents did try to comfort her, at least at first. But she was so terrified of hurting someone that she even pushed them away. She desperately wanted comfort, but she was too afraid to actually allow someone to do it.

Curling into a ball, Elsa squeezed her eyes shut tightly and tried to calm down a little. She was sobbing so hard that it was becoming difficult to breathe. Taking a few slow, deep breaths, she tried to relax her muscles and think of something happy. Unfortunately, the only happy things she could think of had to do with Anna, which wouldn't help much at the moment. Instead, she took another deep breath and put on the mask that she always wore at school. Indifference. It took a little longer than normal for it to be convincing, but eventually she stopped crying.

After at least an hour spent staring blankly at her ceiling, someone knocked on her door. Elsa's heart twisted painfully. She knew it was Anna; she always knocked that way, with her own special little rhythm.

"Elsa?" she called. Elsa didn't answer. She didn't really trust her voice at the moment.

"I'm sorry," Anna said softly. Elsa blinked back a few tears. So much for indifference. "I didn't mean to get angry with you. I was just…" She sighed. The door jostled a little, as if she had rested her head against it. "I know this is hard for you. But it's hard for me too. I just hate to see you hurting so much."

Elsa still didn't say anything. She was glad that Anna wasn't angry with her anymore, but she didn't trust herself to say anything without breaking down again. If she started sobbing now, Anna would likely try to break the door down to come comfort her.

"I love you, Elsa. Always, no matter what," Anna said.

Tears slipped silently down Elsa's cheeks. She heard the door jostle again, then the sounds of Anna descending the stairs. She should have said something, should have told her sister that she loved her too. Anna had such a large heart, always caring more than most. She would be hurting until Elsa told her it was okay, until they cleared things up.

It took the better part of thirty minutes, but Elsa pulled herself together. She hated arguments of any kind, but she especially hated arguments with her sister. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and made her way downstairs. She heard the gentle sounds of a murmured conversation as she approached the living room. One voice she knew was her sister, but the other she wasn't so sure about. Glancing timidly around the corner, she saw who her sister was talking to.

Elsa pulled back quickly and hid behind the wall. The tips of her ears heated up rapidly, followed quickly by the back of her neck. Why, of all people, did it have to be Kristoff? She sank down onto the bottom step of the stairs and closed her eyes, trying desperately not to focus on the conversation too much. Maybe she should go back upstairs and wait until he was gone. Just as she was convincing herself to leave, she heard Anna break down in tears. Elsa's heart ached. She couldn't wait now, even though Kristoff made her embarrassingly nervous.

Standing up, Elsa walked just barely around the corner and leaned against the doorway to the living room. She opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes latched onto Kristoff and her voice got stuck in her throat. Hurriedly, she glanced at her sister instead. It wouldn't take Anna long to notice that she was there, so she decided to wait quietly. Sure enough, just a few seconds later Anna looked up and saw Elsa standing in the doorway.

"Elsa?" she said quietly, her voice a little stuffy from crying.

Elsa sent her a sad smile, hoping that Anna would understand all she was trying to convey. Anna stood up from the couch and all but ran toward her. Elsa involuntarily backed up a little. She ached to pull her sister into her arms and never let go, but she knew she couldn't. Anna stopped a few inches away and stared at her, blinking back more tears. Elsa shifted her gaze toward the floor.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Anna's hand twitched, as if she wanted to reach out. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Elsie. It was all my fault." Elsa glanced back up to see Anna wipe a tear away. Her chest tightened painfully. Anna sent her a small smile. "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do," Elsa answered softly. "I don't blame you at all for—" She broke off, glancing over Anna's shoulder at Kristoff for a second before looking back at her sister. "For the way you acted," she said eventually. "I understand. Really."

Anna smiled a little, her eyes still clouded with sadness. "I love you," she said softly.

"Love you too," Elsa whispered back, blinking away tears. She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her emotions. Kristoff had already seen much more than she'd ever wanted him to.

Anna's smile brightened. "Come sit with us," she said. When she noticed Elsa's look of panic, she hurried to add, "You don't have to talk or anything. Just… Please? I just want to be close to you."

How could she say no to that? Elsa sent a nervous glance at Kristoff before looking back at Anna. "All right," she said quietly.

Her sister's smiled brightened even more. Her hand twitched again and she almost reached out to drag Elsa into the living room. But Elsa backed up again on instinct. A flash of pain crossed Anna's face before she sent Elsa an apologetic smile and walked back to the couch, leaving her sister to make her way into the living room on her own. Elsa hated that things had to be this way between them.

Cautiously, Elsa entered the living room and made for her chair by the window. She sat down and pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. It was silent for just a moment before Anna started up a conversation with Kristoff again. Elsa didn't pay much attention to what they were saying, but focused instead on the sound of Kristoff's voice, his laugh, the way he took a breath right before speaking. She closed her eyes and soaked it in. His voice had gotten deeper since the last time she'd allowed herself to be in the same room as him.

She tried hopelessly to keep her eyes closed, but as expected, her resolve melted away. She flicked her gaze toward Kristoff, soaking in his appearance. He had always been broad and muscular, but he was even more so now. His shoulders looked a bit wider, and she thought he might be a few inches taller. She knew he had to be approaching six feet now, and would probably pass it before too long. His honey-blond hair was a little longer than it had been the last time she'd seen him. It hung down into his eyes. Her stomach swooped as he reached up to ruffle his hair, the muscles in his arm flexing as he did so. Her cheeks flushed a little and she closed her eyes again, resting her forehead on her knees.

Elsa had to force herself to stay downstairs. Instinct wanted her to run back up to her room and hide, to hide from the nervousness and the uncomfortable, but not unpleasant, feeling in her stomach. But then she remembered Anna's pleading gaze and stayed put. She could suffer through a few hours of Kristoff's presence for her sister. She stayed quiet the entire time he was there, keeping out of conversations lest she say something stupid. But her gaze never truly left him, at least not for long.

Finally, after much too long in Elsa's opinion, Kristoff stated that he needed to go home. He stood up and stretched, his shirt riding up a little. Elsa's ears burned and she quickly looked away. She listened as he told Anna goodbye and started walking toward the front door. He paused before he got there though. She glanced up to see him watching her.

"Bye, Elsa," he said, voice gentle and soft. "It was nice to see you."

She blinked at him, watching him turn around to leave. She tried to answer him, to say _something_, but the words got stuck in her throat again. Really, _why_ did he make her so nervous? The front door snapped shut behind him and she exhaled forcefully, realizing that she had been holding her breath. She groaned a little and put her forehead back on her knees.

"I'll admit," Anna said playfully, "I rambled for quite a lot longer than I would have to keep him here, just so I could watch you squirm over there." Elsa's head snapped up, seeing Anna with a mischievous grin on her face. "Your ears are red, by the way," Anna added, clearly holding back laughter.

Elsa reached up to rub her ears, scowling at her sister. "It's not funny, Anna."

"I think it's hilarious," she answered, still grinning. "He _is_ cute. With those broad shoulders, and his golden hair. And those eyes. Oh, and his deep voice," she said, eyes sparkling with mirth. Elsa looked down and smiled a little before she could stop herself. Anna burst into laughter. "Gah, you should see your face. I think you're in love, Elsie," she teased.

Elsa threw a pillow at her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Dad, _please_. I don't want to," Elsa begged, on the verge of tears.

Thomas sighed. "Elsa, sweetie. I'm sorry, but you have to. Look, this will be the last one, okay? I promise."

Elsa's shoulders slumped. She sat down at the kitchen table and curled in on herself. "You said that last time," she mumbled.

"I know. But I promise, this _will_ be the last. This is a different research team, and they've been working on advanced genetics for a while now. They might be able to help," he said softly.

He'd said that the last time too. But none of them had helped so far, and she didn't have high hopes for this one either. "They make me feel like some sort of science experiment or something," she said, sounding close to despair. "And they poke and prod and _stare_ and—" Tears choked off the end of her sentence. She glanced up at her father again. "_Please_, Dad. Don't make me go," she whispered.

He ran a hand through his auburn hair and looked at her apologetically. "The plane tickets are already purchased," he told her gently. Elsa hung her head. "But it's only for a week," he added quickly. "And your mother is going with you this time."

Elsa nodded, trying to hold in her emotions, to save them for when she was alone in her room. "When?" she asked quietly.

"Friday," he answered. "The plane leaves at ten." He sat down across from her at the table, sighing. He actually seemed like he didn't really want to send her but didn't have much choice. Or maybe he just felt bad that it made her so upset. She knew he only wanted to help. They just didn't know what to do. "Elsa, I really am sorry, sweetie. I just— I want what's best for you."

"I know you do, Daddy," she whispered. She was silent for a while, staring at her lap. She shouldn't be upset with him. He was doing what he thought was best, never mind that _she_ didn't think it was best. These research labs never helped. She had a feeling that they only agreed to take her because they were curious; she _was_ a science experiment to them. She never got the feeling that they actually wanted to help her. But maybe this one would be different. She had to think that it would be, otherwise she would break down.

Eventually, she stood up, not looking at her father. "I guess I should start packing," she mumbled. She really just wanted to get out of the room, but she _did_ need to pack. It was only two days away. The thought made her shudder a little. She didn't give her father time to respond, but quickly left the kitchen and made her way upstairs. When she'd made it to her room, she locked the door and sank down on the side of her bed. A chilling numbness settled in her heart. She _hated_ having to do this, having to be studied and analyzed like some interesting project. They made her feel even more alone than she normally felt, even more different and unusual.

A few tears slipped down her cheeks. She let them for a little while, rolling back onto the mattress and curling into a ball. She just needed a moment to let her feelings out, then she would be okay. She could do this. And if he really meant it this time, if it _really_ was the last one…

A soft knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts. "Elsa?" Anna asked quietly.

The tone of her voice told Elsa that she knew where she'd be going on Friday. Wiping away her tears, Elsa walked slowly to her door and unlocked it, opening it to see Anna glancing at her with concern. Her brow furrowed even more when she noticed that Elsa had been crying.

"Oh, Elsie. How long this time?" Anna asked, looking like she wanted to pull Elsa into a hug.

"A week," Elsa answered quietly, glancing down at the floor.

Anna made a noise of disapproval, then sat down against the wall opposite the door. Elsa left the door open, then went to her closet to start packing. Might as well get started now. They were both quiet for a while, Elsa pulling out a suitcase before tossing some clothes on the bed. She glanced over her shoulder every now and then at her sister, catching Anna watching her with sadness etched onto her features. Anna knew how much Elsa hated research labs.

"I just—" Elsa blurted suddenly, tossing down the shirt she'd been folding. "I just wish he'd stop sending me to these things. They never do any good. No one knows what's wrong with me. I don't think we ever will," she said angrily, clenching her jaw.

"You know Daddy would rather try than let you suffer through this," Anna said softly.

"I know," Elsa sighed. She went back to folding her clothes, trying to think of something else. "What will you do while I'm gone?" she asked her sister. School had let out for the summer a few weeks ago, and Anna was still feeling the joys of freedom. Elsa never really knew what that felt like. "Going to hang out with that boy some more? What's his name again?" She glanced back at Anna, one eyebrow raised.

Anna rolled her eyes. "Maybe. And it's Hans, Elsa. I've told you about a thousand times."

"And I still think it's a silly name," she teased.

"Yeah, well, he's cute, so I don't care."

Elsa laughed, a bit of the tension in her shoulders easing. "I'm glad you think so. He's not really my type though."

Anna smirked at her. "No, you go for tall, muscular blonds."

Elsa groaned. "Not this again."

"Hey," Anna said, shrugging, "you started this conversation."

"Yes, but—"

Anna crossed her legs and rested her elbows on her knees, giving Elsa a stern look. "Elsa, really. You can't honestly think that I don't notice the way you look at him." Elsa paused again in her folding, the back of her neck feeling uncomfortably hot. Her sister sighed, then spoke softly. "Why don't you say anything?"

Elsa let out a humorless laugh. "Really, Anna? Why would I? Who on earth, in their right mind, would want to be involved with me once they found out what I can do?" She shook her head, thumbs stroking the fabric of the shirt in her hands, tears pricking her eyes once again. "And then there's… I mean, the two of _us_ don't even touch. Who would want that in a relationship? I just— I'm better off alone," she finished softly, blinking furiously to stop the tears from falling.

"That's not true at all," Anna said forcefully. "Honestly, I don't think Kristoff would care. I've seen the way he looks at you and—"

"Don't, Anna," Elsa said quickly, tears slipping down her cheeks despite her best efforts to control them. "Please, just— you have no idea how much it hurts," she whispered.

They were silent for a minute, Elsa taking a few deep breaths and trying desperately to get her emotions under control. Eventually, Anna spoke up once again. "I didn't mean to upset you, Elsa. I'm sorry," she said softly.

"It's fine," Elsa insisted, wiping away the last of her tears. "It's just— been an emotional day for me."

"Yeah," Anna agreed. After another minute of silence, she perked up a little. "Hey… Do you think I could convince Dad to let us get a dog?"

Elsa burst into laughter. She really did love her sister.

* * *

Elsa hated airports. There were always way too many people there. She kept her hands in the pocket of her hoodie, but she still felt like she ran the risk of someone touching her. The crowds made her feel a little claustrophobic too. She was so used to being alone in her room that this many people was slightly nerve-wracking. And then there was security to go through. Her stomach twisted at the thought. She'd worn a t-shirt under her hoodie this time, because she knew they'd want her to take it off. Security was always the worst part for her.

Her mother stayed close to her side, but far enough away that they weren't touching. Elsa had done a good job so far of avoiding contact with anyone. No one had even bumped into her yet. She was beginning to think that she might actually make it through the airport without any contact at all this time when someone bumped her elbow. She nearly jumped out of her skin, instinctively moving closer to her mother.

"It's okay, sweetie," Helen said softly, smiling a little.

"I hate airports," Elsa grumbled. "Wish we were on the plane already."

Helen nodded sympathetically. "I know. But look, we're almost to security, and then we'll be able to avoid the crowds. Just getting on the plane after that, and your father was able to get us special permission to board early."

Elsa glanced up hopefully. "Really?"

"Mmhmm," her mother answered.

A few minutes later, they were next in line to go through the metal detectors. Elsa slipped her shoes off and put them in a bin, then waited until the last possible moment before tugging her hoodie over her head. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she waited to be told it was her turn. Someone behind her could bump into her, they could touch bare skin. Panic swelled in her chest and she glanced nervously at her mother. Helen smiled at her reassuringly. _Finally_, she was waved through. She sighed a little when she'd made it through, then almost panicked again waiting on her things. The second she saw her hoodie, she snatched it up and pulled it over her head. _Now_, she could relax a little.

Her mother came up behind her and grabbed her things, smiling. "See, that wasn't so bad."

"But it could have been," Elsa pointed out.

After that, Elsa didn't have much reason to panic. Waiting on the plane was the worst part. But as soon as early boarding was allowed, she was out of her seat and on the plane. The moment she'd sat down by the window, she let out a sigh. Things were tight on the plane, but she sat beside her mother so it wasn't quite so bad. Still, she would be much happier when they'd landed and she could get out of all these crowded spaces.

It took much longer than Elsa would have liked. The flight was close to six hours long and absolutely miserable. Luckily it was nonstop, so Elsa only had to deal with two airports today instead of several. Nevertheless, by the time they were getting in their rental car, her nerves were so frazzled that she felt like she might spontaneously combust.

Elsa sank into the seat with a sigh, waiting on her mother to finish talking. She closed her eyes, waiting to speak until they'd pulled off from the airport. "Where are we going?"

"We'll be in a hotel tonight. You don't have to go in until tomorrow morning. But after that…" She paused a little, sounding a bit uneasy. That caught Elsa's attention. She opened her eyes and glanced at her mother. "Well, they want to keep you for the week."

Elsa blinked. "You mean at night, too?" Her mother nodded. Elsa swallowed nervously. "But you'll be there, right?"

"No," her mother said softly. "I'll have to spend the nights at the hotel." Elsa frowned. Helen hurried to add, "But I'll be there during the day."

Elsa's heart sank. This trip was just getting worse and worse. She'd never stayed overnight in one of these things before. She wasn't sure what to expect. She was already nervous enough, but knowing that she'd have to stay overnight made it even worse. She hated being observed. It made the back of her neck constantly prickle with the feeling of being watched. She bit her lip and glanced out of the window, stomach churning and already dreading the next day.

It took her ages to fall asleep that night. She lay awake for hours, staring at the ceiling and thinking. It would actually be a bit of a blessing to not have to spend the nights in the hotel. At least if an episode happened at night she wouldn't have to worry about anyone hearing her scream. Everyone in that lab would know why she was there, they would know what she could do. She didn't have to worry so much if she was there. But it still made her nervous. By the time she actually fell asleep that night, she'd thought so much that she was nervous almost to the point of being sick.

Elsa didn't eat much for breakfast the next morning. Her mother tried to get her to at least force down some toast, but she felt a little too nauseous to stomach much of anything. She moved as slowly as possible while she was getting ready, trying to make the time before they left last as long as possible. But before she knew it, they were in the car and on their way. It wasn't a long drive, so she didn't even have much time to prepare herself. She stayed silent the entire time they were walking into the building, doing her best to calm down. It didn't help much that she'd started aching a little that morning. Her mental clock started ticking, telling her she had less than two days before the next episode.

A smiling lady at the front desk led them through a series of locked doors and long hallways, finally admitting them into a waiting room of sorts. They sat down and waited for a few minutes before a nurse came to fetch her. Her mother glanced questioningly at the lady, silently asking if she should come as well.

"We'll just be drawing blood, doing a bit of a checkup. You can come if you'd like," the nurse said.

Elsa glanced at her mother and shook her head. "I'm fine," she said softly. Her mother nodded, then sat back in her chair. The nurse led Elsa through another door, then into a small room. She chatted the whole way there, seemingly trying to help Elsa's nerves a little. It was a nice gesture, but it didn't do much good. They went through a few standard procedure things, even checking Elsa's blood pressure. She knew that was a little inaccurate, because she'd been so worked up for so long. The nurse just smiled at her and told her they'd take it again when she'd calmed down a little. Elsa wondered if that would ever happen while she was here.

Eventually, they were ready to draw blood. This was the part that made her the most nervous. She didn't mind needles all that much. It was just the thought of someone touching her that made her panic a little. But the people at the lab had been warned not to touch her skin, so the nurse pulled on a pair of gloves while she instructed Elsa to push her sleeve up. They weren't the typical rubber gloves worn by medical personnel, but thicker, enough to keep Elsa from feeling her body heat. She was thankful for that at least.

When the nurse reached for her arm, Elsa flinched involuntarily. Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest. She bit her lip, unconsciously tensing up as the lady searched for a vein.

"Elsa, sweetheart," the nurse said softly. "Relax a little. This will be over before you know it."

"Sorry," Elsa mumbled, exhaling and attempting to ease the tension in her muscles. "People touching me makes me nervous."

"I know," the nurse said, smiling a little. "I want you to do me a favor. Take a deep breath and close your eyes."

It wasn't as bad as she'd originally thought it would be. She had to sit there for a little longer than she wanted to though; they wanted several vials, enough to run plenty of tests with. But the nurse was good at what she did. By the time it was over with, Elsa's nerves had calmed down quite a bit. Still, she hurriedly pulled her sleeve back down the second she was able to.

"Before you get too comfortable," the nurse said, "I have one more thing. They want to monitor heart activity while you're here, so I need to get that set up." She glanced apologetically at Elsa, sending her a small smile. "You'll need to remove your shirt." She explained a little more once she saw Elsa's look of utter panic. "I need to attach some electrodes to your chest. But once they're on, you can put your shirt back on. It'll only take a few seconds."

Elsa closed her eyes for a moment. She ran a hand through her hair out of frustration. After taking a few more deep breaths, she opened her eyes and nodded. She avoided the lady's gaze as she shed her sweatshirt. She hesitated with her hands on the hem of her tank top, then gritted her teeth and yanked it over her head. The cool temperature of the room washed over her skin and calmed her down a little. Her hands shook slightly as she waited, so she twisted them together in her lap. She sucked in a nervous breath as the nurse approached her.

The nurse rested a gentle hand against her side. "One hand here to steady you, okay?"

Elsa nodded and closed her eyes. She winced a little as the first electrode was adhered, but didn't react past that. The panic was getting increasingly worse the longer the lady had her hands on her, even though she still wore her gloves. Elsa took several more slow, deep breaths as the process wore on. It really didn't take very long, but it felt like hours. When she was told she could put her shirt back on, she couldn't help her sigh of relief. Having things taped to her chest was a little uncomfortable, but she guessed that she'd get used to it.

Finally, the most uncomfortable part was over with. She was led back out to her mother, who could obviously tell that Elsa hadn't enjoyed that one bit. She stood up, glancing at Elsa with worry. She eyed the device that was hooked in Elsa's pocket with concern, but didn't say anything. After that, they were led to another room close by. There were several computers set up, with a wall of monitors displaying a bunch of different information. Elsa's gaze fixed on one that seemed to be showing her heart rate.

A door behind them opened and a man walked in, wearing a white lab coat and a gentle smile. He reached out to shake Helen's hand, then glanced at Elsa and stuck his hand in his pocket. She was once again glad that everyone had been informed to avoid touching her. He introduced himself as Dr. Schneider, then pointed out a few things about the room. When he motioned to the window in front of them, Elsa glanced through curiously.

"You'll be in there, for the most part. We'll be watching from here. But don't worry, you won't be able to see us. One-way glass," he said, rapping it with his knuckles. "We have cameras set up too, but only in the main room. None in the bathroom, of course," he added, smiling a little.

Elsa nodded, listening as he explained a few more things. Then she was shown into her room. It actually resembled a hotel room, except for the large, black window on one wall. There was a small living area too, with a couch that she assumed she'd be spending most of her time on. It was a good thing she'd brought some books. Her things had already been brought in as well. When she and her mother were finally left on their own, Elsa sank down on the couch with a sigh. Her mother sat beside her, concern etched across her face.

"Well, this shouldn't be too bad," she said gently, glancing around the room.

"Maybe," Elsa mumbled. She reached up to rub her chest where one of the electrodes was attached. They were silent for a bit more before her mother turned on the television. Elsa went to her suitcase to grab a book, then situated herself back on the couch. After a while, the absence of conversation became pleasant. She'd always been able to enjoy quiet time with her mother. They were kindred spirits, both needing very little to keep them occupied. Neither of them minded if things were quiet.

They were left on their own for most of the day. Someone came in around noon to bring them lunch, then came back around six with dinner. Elsa was informed that she'd be put through a few more tests in the coming days, but that most of her time spent there would be just like this. She was glad that her mother had come with her. It would be incredibly dull and uncomfortable to do this alone. With her mother there, she could almost forget that she was being watched. But the telltale prickle on the back of her neck always reminded her that she was being observed.

By the time her mother had to leave that night, Elsa was as comfortable as she could be in a lab. She'd gotten used to having things attached to her chest and she rarely ever glanced at the giant, black window anymore. She wasn't happy there by any means; but it wasn't quite as bad as some of the labs she'd been to. Still, it took her a while to fall asleep that night. The room was eerily quiet. She imagined that she could hear faint beeps and clicks from the observation room, and it made her a little uneasy. But she'd exhausted herself that day from nerves, so sleep came to her eventually.

The next day wasn't nearly as uneventful as the first. She woke up hurting enough that she was sure she'd have an episode before dinnertime that day. When the nurse came in that morning to check on the monitor she wore, the same nurse that had applied it, the woman could tell that Elsa wasn't feeling good. She went to fetch a doctor, who proceeded to bombard Elsa with questions. Where exactly did she hurt; what did it feel like; rate the pain on a scale of one to ten, and so on. She'd been asked all of that before, and she answered the same way she always did. The feeling that this lab visit wouldn't do any good once again settled in her heart.

Her mother's arrival provided a decent distraction for Elsa. She talked with her mother for a little while, then sat in comfortable silence with her, both of them reading. Even though she rarely got to experience this, her mother's presence always calmed her down a little, much like Anna's did. Still, a calming presence could only influence Elsa for so long. A little after lunch, she had to suppress a shudder. Her mother didn't miss the look of pain that crossed her face though.

"Already, sweetheart?" her mother asked sadly.

Elsa nodded. "I might have an hour or two." Or so she thought. Not even ten minutes later, she trembled again, this time sucking in a sharp breath at the pain. She knew then that this one was going to be intense. Her mother sent her another concerned look, but Elsa just shook her head. Another wave of pain swept through her and she doubled over, groaning.

"Mom, go," she breathed out, standing up to make her way to the bed. It was a slow process, but she made it eventually. She collapsed on the mattress as another violent tremor wracked her body. She bit her tongue, holding in the scream that she wanted to let out. Her mother was still in the room. "Mom, _go_," she begged, glancing at her mother. "Please don't watch," she whispered, closing her eyes. Finally, she heard the door open and close.

Once she was alone, Elsa stopped holding back. Heat pulsed through her veins and knotted up in her chest, making it hard to breathe. What little breath she had was normally taken away with her screams. She trembled and shook constantly, rolling into a tight ball as if to protect herself. Her muscles tensed and shuddered with spasms. The pressure in her chest was so intense that she felt like she might explode. A particularly painful jolt went through her, making her arch her back. She let out a sob, desperately wishing for it to be over with, for the magic to leave her.

After what felt like hours, Elsa finally felt the tug in her chest. Ice and snow burst out of her, covering the room in a matter of seconds. She gasped for breath, curling up once again and closing her eyes. She still shook violently, still sucked in air like she couldn't get enough, but the absolute worst was over with. Still, the constant pain as her magic raged was intense enough to keep her groaning. When it finally began to lessen, she was so spent that she could barely move. She was absolutely drenched in sweat though, so as soon as she was able, she wiggled out of her sweatshirt. Her chest heaved as she pulled in a few more deep breaths.

A few minutes later, she heard the door open once again. She blearily opened her eyes, seeing her mother come in, followed by Dr. Schneider. Her mother had tears in her eyes. Elsa's heart sank as she realized that her mother had watched through the window, even though she'd asked her not to. Helen hurried to the bed and reached out, but Elsa jerked away from her with more strength than she thought she possessed at the moment.

"Please, don't," she mumbled, voice hoarse and scratchy.

The doctor handed her a gel ice pack and instructed her to put it behind her neck. "Your body temperature is dangerously high for a normal person, but I imagine even more so for you. Your normal body temperature hovers quite a lot lower than the typical 98.6 degrees, so I think I can safely assume that this is miserable for you."

Elsa nodded, then sighed as the cool ice pack hit her neck. It wasn't nearly as cold as she wished it was, but she didn't think they could get it much colder. "This never lasts long," she told the man hoarsely, still breathing heavily. "I'll be back to normal in a couple minutes. But thank you."

He blinked at her, then shook his head. "Remarkable," he muttered, pulling out a pen and notepad and writing something down. Elsa looked away, glancing at her mother instead.

"Mom, why did you watch?" she whispered, tears stinging her eyes quite suddenly.

"I just—" Her mother reached up to wipe away a few tears of her own. "I needed to know," she said eventually. "I'm so sorry, sweetie. I wish I knew what to do to help you," she said softly.

"I know. It's okay," Elsa murmured, closing her eyes.

* * *

Elsa ended up having another episode while she stayed at the lab, a few days after the first. Luckily, it wasn't another intense one. They asked her plenty of questions, ran quite a few more tests, even had her sit through an MRI. By the end of the week, she was mentally worn out. She was tired, grumpy, and just wanted to curl up in her own bed and go to sleep. In the end, it wasn't as bad as some of the previous lab visits had been, but she still hoped that she'd never have to go through it again.

They sent her on her way that Friday with the promise that they'd call in a few weeks to let her know the test results. They had quite a lot of information to analyze, and it would take them a while to get it all together. Elsa didn't care if she never heard from them again at this point. She was beyond done with being treated like a science experiment. She sighed with relief when she'd gotten in the car with her mother.

"Glad that's over?" her mother asked softly.

Elsa nodded, bottom lip trembling for a moment, then burst into tears. She curled up in a ball and hugged the pillow her mother had brought for her, tears slipping down her cheeks as she stared out of the window. Her tears quieted after a moment, but still slipped continuously down her cheeks. She was so emotionally exhausted that she didn't know if she'd be able to stop crying, at least until her body couldn't make any more tears. She just wanted to be home. Unfortunately, they still had a few airports to deal with.

Blessedly, the airport visits went by without a hitch. They were allowed to board early again, and Elsa ended up sleeping for most of the plane ride. She let out another sigh of relief when they'd landed, breathing in the wonderfully familiar scent of Seattle air. It was almost over. She managed to avoid running into anyone as they picked up their luggage and made their way to the pickup area. The moment she saw her father's car, she had to hold back a sob. She was _so_ ready to be home.

When she climbed in the car, she really did start sobbing, mostly because Anna had to stop herself from pulling Elsa into a hug. She managed to pull herself together though. She sent Anna a sad smile, trying to let her know that it was okay, that she was fine. She didn't really want to talk about the visit, not yet anyway, but Anna needed to know that it was okay. Anna smiled a little in return, then reached out slowly to place her hand on Elsa's shoulder. Elsa flinched a little, but let Anna keep her hand there, her heart swelling with love.

Several weeks later, when they got the call from the lab, Elsa wasn't really surprised to hear that they didn't have a clue what was wrong with her. She'd sighed when her mother told her that. But both of her parents had promised her that she wouldn't have to go through it again, not anymore. They'd tried too many times already with no results. It was much too stressful for Elsa, and unnecessary at this point. They just had to accept that she was…different.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Chapter 3 is here! Thanks a bunch to everyone who has read the story! I realize that this is needlessly intense, but I've discovered that I have a bit of a "saving people thing" I suppose (kudos to you if you get the reference). I dunno, I enjoy stories like this, when I know they'll end happy. Hopefully some of you out there do too! Anyway, this chapter features our first bit of interaction between Elsa and Kristoff. This is a bit of a turning point in the story I suppose. Hope you like it!**

* * *

Chapter 3

A brisk breeze hinting at the coming winter ruffled Kristoff's hair. He stood on his front porch, leaning against the railing. He could hardly believe that it was his senior year. Actually, what he had an even harder time believing was the fact that he had spent his entire life living right next door to Elsa, and still they barely spoke. Not that he hadn't tried. He made an effort to speak to her nearly any opportunity he had. He never held lengthy conversations with her, mostly just murmured hellos and goodbyes. He didn't _think_ that she didn't like him, but he still wasn't sure. She was always so distant, and she kept to her room more often than not while he was there.

As he was standing on his porch, his eyes followed a car that he knew to be Elsa's, watching it pull into the driveway next door. His gaze followed her as she got out of the car, stomach swooping when the wind ruffled her hair, which was surprisingly hanging loose around her shoulders, not pulled back in her typical braid. He knew they'd seen him standing on the porch, and he'd gone over to help them carry in their groceries so many times that it would be rude not to do so this time. Still, he waited until Elsa had walked inside before striding across the grass.

Anna was still at the trunk, trying to find a way to carry the rest of them inside. Kristoff leaned against the car and knocked on the back window with his knuckles. Anna jumped nearly a foot in the air, almost hitting her head on the open trunk.

"Kristoff! Goodness, give me some warning next time."

He grinned a little, chuckling. "Need some help?" he asked.

"Oh, you don't have to," she insisted, attempting to grab several more grocery bags than she was capable of carrying.

Kristoff shook his head and reached for some of the bags she was holding. "It's no problem, really." He looped his hands through a few more bags and followed Anna into the house. "You and Elsa go shopping for your mom?"

Anna nodded as she shouldered the front door open. "Yeah, Mom is sick, so we went for her. Be careful what you touch in here. She's been holed up in her room for the past few days, but…" She paused, setting some bags on the counter and taking a deep breath. "I think she has the flu," Anna said eventually, making a face. "And don't say anything, but Dad's cooking is awful," she whispered. "I hope we just order something tonight."

A chuckle came from the hallway beside the kitchen, making both of them turn. Elsa walked in a moment later, a small smile on her face, carrying the last of the groceries. The moment she caught sight of Kristoff, her smile dropped. He nearly frowned, but managed to keep himself in check. It was even harder to keep his frown in check when he noticed how pale she was. She looked a little unsteady on her feet too.

"Oh. Hello, Kristoff," she said softly. If he wasn't mistaken, the tips of her ears were turning red.

He pulled in a deep breath and plastered a smile on his face. "Hey, Elsa. It's good to see you. Though you don't look so well. Haven't caught your mother's flu have you?" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anna shoot Elsa a wary glance.

Elsa blinked for a second before answering. "Uh, no, I— I'm fine." She set the groceries she was carrying on the counter, wincing just a little. Kristoff really did frown that time. He watched her with concern for a moment, frown easing away when he saw her twist a strand of hair around her finger. He really wished she wouldn't do that; it was so adorable that it made it almost impossible for him to keep a stupid grin off his face.

It was quiet in the kitchen for a moment, the three of them standing there awkwardly. Kristoff eyed them both carefully, taking in Anna's worried frown and the way Elsa's hands shook slightly. He stepped forward and reached for a grocery bag that he'd set on the counter. "Elsa, why don't you go sit down? You say you're fine, but you don't look it. I can help Anna put these away."

For a moment, he thought she'd protest. But after a second of hesitation, she nodded and made her way toward the living room. Anna sent him a look of complete shock.

"I should keep you around," she said, eyes still wide, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "She _never_ listens to me when I tell her to go sit down."

Kristoff shrugged a massive shoulder, grunting. "She probably just wanted to get out of the room with me here," he mumbled. He would never admit it to Anna, but just the thought of Elsa disliking his presence made his heart ache painfully. Though he had a feeling that Anna had guessed how he felt about her sister by now. He'd caught her giving him a curious glance on more than one occasion.

Anna shook her head, resting a comforting hand on his arm. "You're taking that quite the wrong way," she said softly, still smiling. There was a playful glint in her eyes. She opened her mouth to elaborate, but Elsa called to her from the living room.

"Anna, if you so much as utter one more _syllable_, I will murder you in your sleep!"

The redhead covered her mouth with one hand, stifling her giggles. "I didn't realize she could hear us," she whispered to Kristoff.

He sent her an uneasy smile, still trying to figure out what she was trying to tell him. What other reason could Elsa have for not wanting to be in the same room as him? For the life of him, he couldn't think of anything. With a sigh, he reached for the groceries again, using the task of putting things away to distract him from his thoughts. But as they put everything where it belonged, another thought came to Kristoff that he couldn't seem to ignore. He had always thought that something was wrong with Elsa, but Anna had just practically confirmed it. Why else would she need to instruct her older sister to sit often enough to know that it never worked? He hated thinking that Elsa wasn't well. She certainly hadn't looked it just now. But no matter how he had approached the subject in the past, with either of them, he was always met with a refusal to explain. He'd decided years ago to stop asking.

When they finished putting things away, Anna sent Kristoff a smile, then grabbed a soda from the refrigerator, tossing him one as well. "Thanks for the help, Kristoff. Stay a while and chat?"

He glanced uneasily at the living room. His heart was aching with disappointment. "Actually, I should probably be going."

Anna pouted. Her blue eyes, almost the exact same color as her sister's, bored into his own, begging him to change his mind. "Please? You don't have to stay long. It's just nice to have you around."

He opened his mouth to decline yet again, but sighed instead. He never could deny Anna when she pouted at him. "All right, fine. But not too long. I do have homework to get done, and I'd rather not have it hanging over my head all weekend."

Anna sent him a grin, reaching for his hand and tugging him toward the living room. "Yeah, yeah. We both know you never do your homework until the night before it's due."

He chuckled a little at her accuracy, following her to the couch. Elsa was seated in a chair by the window, pointedly avoiding looking at them. In just the few short minutes that Kristoff had been in the kitchen, it looked as if Elsa had gotten worse. Her face was even paler, and she clenched her jaw every now and then.

"Elsa. Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, leaning forward the slightest bit. Even if she wasn't comfortable around him, he couldn't stop himself from caring. He would always care about her. He had to make sure she was okay. She didn't glance his way, but nodded, still staring out of the window.

Anna seemed to decide that she needed to change the subject. She started rambling to him about her art class at school and the project that she was working on. He listened as best he could, made comments when appropriate, and smiled and laughed when she expected him to. But most of his focus was actually on Elsa. She looked on the verge of being sick now. When Anna took a short break to take a sip of her drink, Kristoff heard Elsa suck in a sharp breath, closing her eyes. Anna heard it too.

"Elsa?" she asked timidly.

Elsa's brow furrowed in what Kristoff guessed to be pain. She clenched a fist, then started easing herself out of her chair, knees trembling slightly. "I'm fine," she said quietly, making her way uneasily toward the stairs.

"Like hell you are," Kristoff said, almost angry now. He made to stand up, but Anna placed a hand on his arm. He glanced at her and she shook her head.

Elsa was at the doorway to the hall now. Faintly, she called back to her sister. "Anna. Get him out of here."

Kristoff was seriously upset now. She was hurting, he _knew_ she was. He watched in disbelief as she disappeared around the corner, then made to stand up once more. He was going to insist on answers this time. Anna stood up with him and put a hand on his arm again. He tried to shrug her off, but she gripped him tighter.

"Kristoff, please. Let her go," she said quietly.

He clenched his jaw in frustration. "Anna, what is going on? I've been friends with you practically since you were born, been in this house hundreds of times. Why won't anyone tell me what's going on? I _know_ something isn't right! I've known for years now. Don't you think I—" He stopped short, snapping his head up, glancing at the ceiling. A sound like a small cannon going off echoed in his ears, followed by a hair-raising scream. Chills swept down his arms and his stomach twisted.

"Elsa," he whispered hoarsely, then shrugged Anna off and made quickly for the stairs. Anna was too fast for him though, and she darted in front of him to block the entrance. "Anna, move," he growled, the hairs on the back of his neck prickling again as he heard another tear-filled scream come from above.

"No," she said forcefully, standing her ground. "Kristoff, I'm not big enough to force you to leave, so I won't even try. But you can't go up there."

Tears pricked his eyes and his heart lurched in his chest as more chilling sounds came from Elsa's room. "Anna, she's hurting! I won't just sit here and—"

Anna was crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks as she kept him from going upstairs. "I know. Believe me, I know. But you can't do anything. If you sit down, I promise I'll explain what I can, but you _can't_ go up there." Her eyes pleaded with him to listen. With an aching heart, he realized how hard this was for her. Numbly, he nodded and backed away. She breathed a sigh of relief when he did, walking forward and taking his arm, leading him to the couch once more.

They sat there in silence for a moment, both of them clearly hearing every groan that came from Elsa's room. After a particularly terrifying sound, Kristoff swallowed hard and glanced at Anna. She was still crying. "How long— how long will she…"

Anna took a deep breath, wiping away her tears. "Normally, no longer than ten minutes. Thankfully this isn't one of the bad ones. Those can last up to an hour."

Kristoff felt bile rise up in his throat and he had to swallow hard once more. "How often is it…bad?"

She was quiet a moment before answering. "They started a few years ago, sometime during her freshman year. For the next year or so, it happened once a month, almost like clockwork. But lately…" She sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Lately, they've been happening much more frequently. It's almost every other episode now, sometimes several back to back."

A tear slipped down Kristoff's cheek. He reached up to brush it away, taking a deep breath. "How long have these— episodes been happening?"

"Since she was born," Anna said in a small voice. Kristoff blinked rapidly, trying to hold back a rush of tears. Anna wiped away a few of her own before continuing. "Mom said that for the first five years or so, they were very infrequent. One every few months or so. But as Elsa got older, they started happening more often. By the time she reached middle school, there were always a few a month. By the start of high school…at least one a week."

He was silent for a moment, still hearing heart-rending sounds coming from upstairs. "What goes on in there?" he asked, almost to himself. What on earth could be causing her so much pain?

Anna shook her head slowly. "I don't know. She won't tell me. But I've been near her room enough when it happens to know that it gets very cold in there." She picked at a loose thread on her jeans, then leaned forward to rest her chin on her knees. "And I don't know why it hurts her so much, but it does."

Things were becoming quieter upstairs. After a full minute without hearing anything at all from Elsa, Anna shifted a little. "Kristoff, you should probably go. The worst is over now. She won't be able to leave her room for a little bit, but… Well, I don't know if she'll want you to see her after that. She rarely likes it when I do," Anna said softly.

Kristoff nodded, scrubbing his face with one hand. He stood up slowly, gaze flitting up to look at the ceiling. He desperately wished that he could go see her, but he trusted that Anna would take care of her if she needed it. Pausing just beside the front door, Kristoff turned back to look at Anna.

"Anna, tell her that I…" He trailed off, glancing down at his feet. He wasn't sure what he wanted her to know. He was sure she wouldn't want his pity though. Eventually, he looked back up. "I care for her, Anna. Please— please make sure she knows that."

Anna nodded. Kristoff took a deep breath, then made his way back home.

* * *

Elsa stretched out on her bed, releasing the tension in her muscles and breathing heavily. Her heart ached to know that Kristoff had just heard that. She hated for her family to have to hear it all the time, but it was almost worse that he had. She didn't want to burden him with that. She just hadn't expected him to be at the house that afternoon. And she hadn't quite expected the episode to hit that quickly either. It hadn't been a bad one, but even the normal ones were starting to come quicker now. She wasn't as good at predicting when they would happen anymore because they seemed to be getting progressively worse.

She hadn't been lying there for long when she heard her door open. She opened her eyes and shifted a little, watching Anna come in quietly and shut the door behind herself. Elsa took a deep breath, then glanced at her ceiling. "Anna, you know you aren't supposed to be in here," she said quietly.

Anna sank down onto the end of Elsa's bed, letting out a bit of laughter. "Since when have I ever listened to that rule?"

Elsa nearly sighed, but ended up rolling her eyes instead. Part of her really did like that Anna never listened. But most of the time, she wished that her sister would actually obey the rules. It made it harder for her if Anna visited her too frequently, it reinforced the knowledge that she couldn't let her sister get close. But she knew exactly why Anna had broken the rules this time, knew exactly what she wanted to talk about. And Elsa wasn't really sure if she wanted to talk about it.

After several minutes of silence, she finally decided that she couldn't stand not knowing any longer. "Kristoff— did he…"

"He heard," Anna said softly.

Elsa closed her eyes, exhaling nervously. A few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She didn't bother wiping them away. She briefly wondered if Kristoff would ever come over anymore. Her episodes were terrifying for _her_, but she knew they were probably just as horrifying for everyone that heard them too.

Anna seemed to know where her thoughts were straying. "He seemed really upset. I told him what I could, but… Well, I think he would have rather heard it from you."

"Anna, I-I couldn't—"

Her sister cut her off. "Elsa, I don't know why you don't talk to him. He cares about you."

A few more tears slipped down Elsa's cheeks. "Anna, _please_ don't—"

"I'm only telling you what he _asked_ me to tell you."

Elsa pushed herself shakily into a sitting position, grabbing one of her pillows to hold on to. "He— he said that?"

Anna nodded. "Yes, he did. I don't see how you didn't notice. It's written all over his face every time he sees you. He's known both of us our whole lives, he's practically lived here every summer. How could he not care about you?" Elsa bit her lip and glanced down. Anna pressed her advantage. "Why don't you speak to him?"

"He—" Elsa started, then broke off nervously. She exhaled and ran a hand through her hair. She was pretty sure that Anna wasn't going to back down until she had a proper answer. Just the thought of admitting what she was about to say made her feel a little nauseous. But this was her sister. "He makes me nervous," she finally whispered.

Anna blinked at her. "Why?"

"Anna," Elsa groaned. She gripped her pillow tighter, avoiding her sister's gaze. "I just— I can't focus around him. He makes all my words get stuck in my throat. And I get all jumpy and—" She broke off when she saw her sister's grin. She smacked Anna with her pillow. "Stop smiling like that."

"Sorry," Anna said, still grinning, though not quite as broadly. "Carry on."

Elsa pulled her legs up, trapping her pillow between her chest and her thighs. "He just— he's…" She sighed, focusing her gaze on her knees. "It's stupid stuff that gets me all worked up. Like when he ruffles his hair, or the way his voice sounds when he talks softly. Gah, hearing him _breathe_ even gets me sometimes. And heaven help me if he's within five feet of me. I can almost imagine that I feel his warmth," she said softly. It occurred to her how lovesick she sounded, and she glanced up to see Anna smiling but looking at her like she'd gone insane.

"I don't think I ever thought I'd hear you gush about a guy," Anna said, nearly laughing.

The tips of Elsa's ears reddened and she glanced back down. "He kinda makes it hard to breathe sometimes. And…it's been hard for me to deal with these feelings, knowing that— that we can't…" She frowned and rubbed her eyes, trying to scrub away the tears that were forming. "Anna…you know no one has ever touched my bare skin. I mean… I assume that Mom and Dad did when I was a baby, but I don't really remember." Anna nodded and Elsa continued. "I've never really _wanted_ someone to do that. I mean…you, to some extent. But…"

Anna smiled a little. "But you want him to?" she asked softly.

"I— yeah," Elsa whispered. "And it makes it _so hard_, Anna, knowing that we can't. It's just been easier for me to avoid that, to avoid _him_, than it was to confront it." Tears pricked her eyes again and she clenched her jaw, blinking them away.

"I guess I can understand that," Anna said. She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Look, do me a favor?" Elsa nodded. "At least _try_ talking to him a little. Just try," she added when Elsa sent her a slightly panicked look. "Elsa, I'm pretty sure he thinks you hate him. And I'm not about to be the go-between here. You need to fix this on your own."

Elsa sucked in another nervous breath. "Okay," she said softly. "I'll try."

* * *

Elsa had promised her sister that she would try to talk to Kristoff. But she never said _when_. She knew that Anna wanted her to talk to him as soon as possible, and she really had intended to. But the moment she saw him the next Monday, all of her courage flew out the window. She might have been able to work up the nerve to say something, even with the slightly windswept look to his hair. But the way he was looking at her made her stomach do nervous flips, and she couldn't seem to even gather the courage to open her mouth, let alone speak.

Honestly, she had been expecting pity from him. She'd seen the look often enough in her parents' eyes that she could easily pick it out. But that wasn't how he looked at her at all. She spent the entire day trying to figure out the look in his eyes. She only saw him occasionally in the halls, and during study hall and history, but the way his eyes looked stayed stuck in her head all day. Near the end of the school day, she finally decided that he looked— well… It was the kind of look that seemed to say, "I would gladly carry your burden for you." She felt a strange mixture of misery and giddiness at the thought.

She could feel his eyes on her all through their history class. It made her ears heat up a little, so she tried to make sure they were covered by her hair. When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of school, Elsa nearly sighed with relief. She gathered up her things and was about to make her way to her locker when a voice called her name. Her heart nearly stopped. Turning around very slowly, she caught Kristoff's gaze.

He was giving her that strange look again. He ran a nervous hand through his hair, making Elsa's stomach swoop. It seemed as if he was having a really difficult time trying to figure out what to say. Eventually, he exhaled and spoke softly, making sure no one else could hear. "Will you be okay tonight?"

Elsa blinked at him. She almost nodded in answer, then remembered her promise to Anna. Still, she couldn't quite meet his gaze and speak at the same time, not with him looking at her like that, so she stared at her books instead. "Yeah," she whispered. "Tonight will be fine." She glanced back up after a second, part of her wondering why he wanted to know.

Kristoff sighed, the look in his eyes softening a bit, becoming calmer and less pained. "Good," he said softly. He ran his hand through his hair again, then glanced at her nervously. "Look, if you ever need anything, anything at all…don't hesitate to ask. I'm always here."

Elsa's heart fluttered in her chest. Gorgeous _and_ had a heart of gold. He couldn't be any more perfect. Terrified that something along those lines would come out of her mouth, she focused her gaze on the books in her hand once again and concentrated on what she wanted to say. "Thank you," she ended up whispering. She glanced back up in time to catch a gentle smile on his face.

"Anytime. I mean it," he murmured. He sent her one last smile, then backed up a little. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Her gaze followed him out of the classroom. When she couldn't see him anymore, she pulled in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She could do this. She could talk to him, be friends with him, without coming completely undone. She'd done wonderfully just then; her hands weren't even shaking, though maybe that was because she held on to her books so tightly. Still, she felt a little better; she _could_ push her feelings aside and get through a conversation with him. Sort of.

A voice brought her out of her thoughts, making her jump. "Elsa? Are you all right?"

She opened her eyes to see her history teacher watching her, a funny look on her face. Elsa's gaze flicked around the room, noticing that she was the only one left in there besides the teacher. She cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck, which was rapidly reddening. "Umm, yeah. I'm fine," she mumbled.

Before she could say or do anything else embarrassing, Elsa muttered a goodbye to the teacher and walked out of the classroom. She thought she caught a bit of a grin on her teacher's face as she left. That made her cheeks flush a little. She kept her head down as she walked to her locker to put her things away, glad that the halls had emptied some and she could avoid running into people a little easier. She took her time walking out to her car, giving herself enough time for the redness to leave her cheeks. Anna was always so good at spotting things like that, and she didn't really want her sister asking for the reasoning.

When she walked up to her car, Anna was sitting on the trunk, absentmindedly watching the other students leaving the parking lot. Elsa scowled and shooed her sister off the car. "Get down," she said, unlocking the car and throwing her backpack in the back seat.

"What took you so long?" Anna asked as she got into the car.

"Nothing," Elsa mumbled, rubbing at an ache in her chest as she pulled off. "Just waiting for the crowds to thin a little. Mondays are always crazy. And I hate bumping into people."

Anna narrowed her eyes. "You don't normally wait this long on Mondays."

Elsa cursed silently to herself. Why did Anna have to be so sharp? Her sister was hyperactive and rarely thought before she spoke, but that should never be mistaken for obliviousness or a lack of intelligence. Anna picked up on things that most others didn't, especially when it came to emotions. Elsa thought quickly, trying to find a way out of this conversation. "I just wanted to wait today, okay? I'm aching a little and just wasn't in the mood to run into anyone."

"Uh huh," Anna said skeptically. Thankfully she let the subject drop though.

The rest of the trip home was silent, for the most part. Anna hummed a little to herself but was otherwise unusually quiet. Elsa figured that Anna was really bursting to ask something, but wanted to wait until she was least expecting it. She had a feeling that she knew what Anna wanted to ask her though, so once they'd walked through the front door and tossed their things down, Elsa leaned against the doorway to the living room and crossed her arms.

"Go ahead. Ask away."

Anna raised her eyebrows comically. "I don't have a clue what you're talking about." Elsa raised one eyebrow in return, not buying that at all. Anna laughed a little. "Fine, fine. Did you talk to him?"

Elsa huffed out an exasperated laugh, but then glanced down, a little embarrassed again. "Kinda."

"Kinda?" Anna asked, brow furrowed with confusion. "What does that mean? How can you 'kinda' talk to someone?"

"Well, I wouldn't have, but…he started the conversation. But, I mean— I actually answered him. Instead of just nodding or whatever. So…it's a start?" she finished, her last sentence sounding more like a question than a statement.

Anna rolled her eyes a little, but smiled. "It's a start," she agreed softly. Her smile dropped shortly after and she wagged her finger at Elsa. "But don't leave it at that. Keep talking to him."

Elsa chuckled softly. "Yes ma'am." Her smile abruptly turned into a frown as the ache in her chest throbbed. Unconsciously, she reached up to rub it again, as if she could massage it out. Her brain laughed a little at that, seeming to say a snarky, "You wish."

Anna sent her a concerned look. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Elsa said, nodding. "Should hold off until tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, if you need anything, just let me know," Anna told her softly.

Elsa nodded again, sending her sister a small smile. The similarity between what Anna had just said and what Kristoff told her earlier warmed her heart. Both of them seemed willing to do whatever it took to make things easier for her. She couldn't see what she'd done to deserve such wonderful people in her life, but she was beyond glad that she had them.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well... I totally almost missed posting today! Heh... Anyway, this was actually the first chapter I wrote for this story. And while the previous chapter was like a mini tipping point, this is the real tipping point for Elsa. Woo! So, hope you enjoy! Again, thanks for all the reads, favorites and follows! You guys are awesome!**

* * *

Chapter 4

Kristoff had been watching her all day. After the previous visit to her house, after finally finding out her secret after all these years, he had decided to keep a close watch on her at school. Everyone had always wondered why Elsa seemed to have special privileges, why she could leave class so suddenly and not show back up for an hour or two. The teachers all knew why, but no one else did besides Anna. And now him. Now he knew. And it made his heart ache.

He didn't have very many classes with her, just history and study hall, but he watched her carefully any time he got the chance. He could tell from the moment he saw her in the hallway that morning that it was going to be another bad day for her. Based on what Anna had told him, and on his previous observations, Kristoff didn't think this was going to be a terrible one. Even though he had noticed a difference in her that day, he was sure no one else had. Very few people paid her any attention at all anyway, except to make a comment when she left class about how unfair it was. Just thinking about that made him upset; they knew nothing.

With a heavy sigh, Kristoff took his seat in Mrs. Howell's history class. He hadn't gotten much sleep the past few nights. Every time he closed his eyes his overactive imagination plastered images of a writhing Elsa in his mind, her back arched, fists clenched, tendons and muscles in her neck strained as she fought the pain. The sounds he'd heard were enough to allow his mind to paint vivid pictures; he was sure they would haunt him for the rest of his life.

A few minutes before the bell rang to signal the start of class, Elsa slumped into the classroom. Kristoff's eyes followed her as she made her way slowly to her seat directly in front of him. Her face was even paler than normal and she looked as if she wanted to curl into a ball. Her muscles were drawn up and tight, shoulders curling forward. She trembled slightly as she sat down, sitting a little harder than seemed intended, as if her knees had given out just as she made it to her seat. Kristoff's eyebrows scrunched together with worry when she rested her head on her desk.

Glancing up toward the front of the room, he caught the teacher watching Elsa closely. A worried frown creased her brow, and she kept tossing glances toward the intercom behind her desk. After a few more moments of indecision, she made her way toward Elsa and knelt down. Kristoff glanced down at his desk, but strained his ears to hear the whispered conversation.

"Elsa," Mrs. Howell said quietly. "Do you need to go?"

Kristoff flicked his gaze upward for a second, watching Elsa sit up and shake her head. "I'm fine, I'll make it," she whispered.

"Are you sure?"

Elsa nodded. "I'm fine," she repeated.

Kristoff didn't think so, and apparently neither did their teacher, but she nodded and walked back to the front of the classroom anyway. The bell rang a moment later and class began.

It was difficult for him to pay attention on a good day, but today he couldn't even keep his eyes on the whiteboard. His gaze constantly focused on Elsa, watching her shoulders slump even more as the minutes ticked by. Ten minutes into class and a shudder raced through her. Kristoff saw her grip her pencil tightly and take a deep breath before going back to her notes. He bit his lip with worry, glancing at the clock. History was the last class of the day. He wasn't sure if she could make it through the class, but even if she did, he was almost positive she wouldn't make it home before things got worse.

A few minutes later, during one of the rare moments he was actually staring at the board, Elsa shook again. His gaze snapped back to her. She dropped her head, one hand gripping the edge of her desk so hard that her knuckles turned white. He heard a sharp intake of breath as she trembled yet again. Worried beyond belief now, he leaned forward to speak to her.

"Elsa, are you okay?" he whispered.

She turned a little in her seat, glancing back at him. When her eyes met his, Kristoff nearly recoiled from shock. Her brilliant blue eyes were starting to glow. She shuddered again, more violently this time, and shook her head. "No, I'm not," she whispered back.

Kristoff's eyes flicked up to the front of the classroom, seeing the teacher's back turned. "Mrs. Howell," he said loudly, his heart pounding with worry and alarm. She turned around sharply, then saw Elsa bent over her desk. Her eyes widened slightly. She began rushing toward the door to open it.

"Mr. Bjorgman, get her out of here. Now! To the main office, quickly!"

He wasted no time. Surging to his feet, he scooped her up in his arms and ran. He was vaguely aware of the other students leaving their desks, attempting to crowd the doorway and watch, but he paid them no mind. He sprinted down the hallway, Elsa's slight frame trembling violently in his arms. He took a sharp right at the end of the hall, nearly colliding with someone just around the corner. He didn't even utter an apology. All of his focus was bent on getting Elsa to the office as quickly as possible.

"It's okay, Elsa, we're almost there," he panted, taking a left toward the front of the building. His chest and arms were starting to feel cold, but he paid little attention to it. Finally, the door to the main office was in front of him. He crashed through the doorway, making the secretaries jump with alarm. When they saw Elsa in his arms, one of the ladies jumped up from her seat and started waving frantically at him.

"This way," she said, running down a small hallway. "Hurry!"

Kristoff followed as fast as he could, trying not to run into anything. She ran all the way to the end of the hall and turned right, skidding to a halt beside a door with a keypad. She fumbled in her haste to enter the passcode, stomping her foot impatiently when she pressed a wrong button. Kristoff stood beside her, panting, his chest growing colder by the second, Elsa still shaking in his arms. Finally, the door swung open and she ushered him inside.

"Quickly now, put her here," she said, motioning to a cot in the corner of the room. He set her down gently and then glanced around with shock. The entire room was solid steel. It looked like a bomb shelter. He blinked, glancing down at Elsa. What exactly was she capable of? After a moment, he noticed that the secretary was tugging on his arm.

"Come on, we have to leave. Now!"

"No," he said sharply. "I don't—"

"Kris," Elsa whispered hoarsely. His heart leapt into his throat; she had never called him that before. He glanced down, seeing Elsa curled into a ball on the cot, shaking with tremors. She glanced up at him and he took an involuntary step backward. Her eyes were now glowing a solid, vibrant blue. "Go, please," she said, tucking her head back in as another violent shudder passed through her. His feet stayed rooted to the spot. She glanced back up, gasping for breath. "Go!"

Kristoff finally allowed himself to be tugged out of the room. As soon as he was clear of the doorway, the lady beside him slammed the door shut and pulled him back down the hallway. They weren't even ten paces down the hall when he heard a sound like a muted explosion, then the faint echoes of what he knew to be a blood-curdling scream. The room was muffling the sounds, but he knew. He'd heard it already. Something in him snapped; he yanked his arm out of the lady's grasp and tore back down the hallway. She shouted at him to come back, but he ignored her.

"Elsa!" he yelled, throwing all his weight against the steel door. Of course it didn't budge. He shoved with all his might, tears stinging his eyes. He called her name again, pounding his fist against the door. Someone grabbed his arms from behind.

"You can't help her, son," a male voice told him gently. "You can't."

The tears fell then, and he fought, trying to rip his arms out of the man's grasp. "I don't care!" he yelled. "Let me in there! She's hurting! Can't you hear her?!"

The man pulled him away from the door, gripping him tightly. "You can't help her, son," he repeated. "It'll be over soon." Kristoff hung his head, tears falling fast and thick as he let himself be led away from the room. A few moments later, he was being pushed into a chair. He bent over, putting his head in his hands, and sobbed.

Several minutes later, Kristoff took a gasping breath and sat up, rubbing his face dry. He accepted the tissue box that was held out toward him, trying to make himself look a little more presentable. He was mildly ashamed that he had lost it like that, but he'd been hearing her scream over and over again in his head since last Friday. It hurt to hear it again in person.

After he'd cleaned himself up a little, he glanced at the man behind the desk in front of him. It was their vice principal, Mr. Russell. He was a brawny man, previously a football coach before he took up an administrative post. His thick, mahogany-colored hair was graying a little at the temples, and his eyes looked tired. He sent Kristoff a sad smile.

Kristoff dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry," he said hoarsely, then cleared his throat.

"It's quite all right," Mr. Russell said, his voice soft. "I want to do the same thing myself every time she comes in here."

They were silent for a few minutes. The vice principal's office seemed to be far enough away from the room that Kristoff couldn't hear her anymore, but he imagined that he could. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, part of him wishing that he'd never found out her secret.

"I've contacted your teacher, Mrs. Howell. You have permission to stay here until Elsa is able to leave." After a moment's hesitation, he continued. "Both of us would like to thank you, Kristoff. If you hadn't been paying attention, quite a few people could have been hurt today."

The words caused tears to sting Kristoff's eyes yet again. "She wouldn't…she would never—"

"I know that," Mr. Russell cut him off. "She would never hurt anyone intentionally. But it could happen anyway."

Kristoff nodded, taking a deep breath to control his tears. After another minute or two of silence, he glanced up at the vice principal again. "Why?" he asked, voice sounding slightly strangled. "Why does it hurt her so much?"

Mr. Russell sighed, glancing down at his desk. "No one's sure. A few different research teams have tried to figure it out, but no one can come up with an answer. Elsa is…well, special. There's never been anyone like her in recorded history. No one can even figure out why she is the way she is. They've just about given up trying to find answers, though. No one even knows where to start. So we do what we can to make things easier for her."

"Will it…" Kristoff trailed off, biting his lip again with worry. "Can it— kill her?"

A pained look crossed the man's face. After a moment, he answered. "Again…no one's sure."

Kristoff sucked in a ragged breath, clenching a hand into a fist. They sat there in silence once again, his ears ringing slightly, the sound of Elsa's screams still reverberating inside his skull. He pressed the heels of his hands against his temples, wishing there was a way to make it stop. It was quiet in the office for a bit longer before Mr. Russell leaned against his desk and spoke.

"Kristoff…if you don't mind me asking, how did you find out about Elsa?"

Kristoff glanced up, seeing genuine concern in the man's eyes. He sighed. "We've known each other our entire lives. We're neighbors, you see. And I've been friends with Anna practically since she was born. I'd talked to Elsa a little when we were younger, but the older she got…" He ran a hand through his hair, clenching his jaw. "Well, she just pulled away. She hardly talks to anyone. Anyway…I knew something was up, have for years now. But I didn't know exactly what was wrong. Until last Friday."

He glanced down at his lap. When he was silent for a moment, Mr. Russell prompted him to continue. "What happened Friday?"

"She had an episode while I was at their house," Kristoff mumbled to his lap. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before looking back up. "I'd never managed to be there for them before that. I didn't even know they happened. Anna explained some things to me. I ended up leaving before Elsa got better though. Anna didn't think she would feel comfortable with me seeing her after…" Sighing again, he glanced back at his lap as tears pricked his eyes once more.

Kristoff was silent for a moment. "I haven't slept much at all since then," he admitted. "I keep hearing her scream in my head, and I just…" Leaning on his elbows, he gripped his hair tightly in his fists out of frustration. He looked up at Mr. Russell after another pause. "Have you ever heard her have an episode outside of that room?"

The older man shook his head. "Thankfully, no."

A few tears slipped down Kristoff's cheeks. "You have no idea what that sounds like, how hard it is to hear that. It almost sounds as if she's trying to claw her way out of her own skin. I…" He took a shaky breath, running his hand through his hair once more. "I really care about her. And it kills me to hear her hurt so much."

Mr. Russell nodded. He opened his mouth to speak, but someone knocked on his office door. A second later, the lady from the front desk poked her head inside the room. "She's fine now," she said softly, glancing at Kristoff. "She wants to see you." He was on his feet before she'd even finished her sentence. Just before he left the room, the vice principal called out to him.

"There are only ten minutes left until school lets out. The two of you can stay in there as long as you like. I'll have your things brought up here. Just make sure she's calmed down before you leave."

"Yes sir. Thank you," Kristoff said, following the lady out of the office and toward Elsa's room. He shook a little with nerves as they got closer. Elsa was still somewhat distant with him, still wary of getting close to him. He wanted to snatch her up in his arms the moment he walked in, but he knew she wouldn't be comfortable with that. When they made it to the door, the secretary pushed a button on the keypad.

"Elsa, we're here." She waited for a second, then punched in the passcode and opened the door. Before Kristoff walked in, she put a hand on his shoulder. "Take as long as you like. I'll wait here however late I need to."

Kristoff nodded his thanks and made his way into the room, wincing when the door shut behind him. The sound was ominous. When his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he saw Elsa's form stretched out on the cot in the corner, one arm dangling off the side of the mattress. Her head was tilted back, allowing him to see her pulse throbbing rapidly in her neck. She had shed her sweatshirt, revealing a plain white tank top. Her skin was peppered with sweat, and her chest heaved with her rapid breathing. But she didn't appear to be in pain anymore. Kristoff let out a slow breath, nerves easing away.

Elsa opened her eyes and glanced at him. Kristoff nearly sighed with relief, thankful that her eyes were back to their normal, beautiful blue. He took a step toward her, feeling emotional once again and desperately wanting to hold her. But he caught the flash of fear in her eyes and stopped.

"Elsa," he whispered, voice ragged.

She kept gazing at him, not saying anything but her eyes speaking for her. They stared at each other in silence for a minute or two. Eventually, her breathing slowed and she pushed herself into a sitting position, leaning against the wall behind her. Kristoff took another step toward her, but she inhaled sharply and pressed herself backward against the wall. "Please, just— give me a minute," she said hoarsely. She cleared her throat and closed her eyes once he'd nodded.

He stood there in silence, diligently waiting until she was comfortable with him being closer. After several long moments, she gestured to the end of the cot, eyes still closed. Kristoff walked slowly toward her and sank down on the other end of the mattress. He waited a minute before speaking.

"Are you— are you okay?"

Elsa opened her eyes slowly and looked at him, shrugging. He reached out toward her but stopped with his hand outstretched when she shrank away from him. "Elsa," he said softly. She shook her head at him, eyes welling up with tears. He pulled his hand back, then glanced at his lap. "Is… I mean, you— you let Anna sometimes. I just…" He paused, glancing back at her. "I care about you, Elsa. I've known you your whole life. Why won't you let me?"

She blinked for a second, then pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. "I wouldn't let Anna, but… Well, she forces me to. Not very often now, though. I don't—" She closed her eyes for a second and sucked in a sharp breath. "I don't trust myself enough. Not anymore."

Kristoff nodded sadly, then sat there in silence. A few minutes later, he dared to ask her a question. "Elsa? What— what happens in here? When you…"

She stared at him for a long moment before glancing back down. "A miniature blizzard, pretty much. Just…concentrated. Powerful. Dangerous," she whispered, almost as an afterthought. She kept her gaze directed at her knees for a while, but when she looked up it was to see Kristoff watching her, eyes filled with concern. "Thank you, by the way. For bringing me here. And…" She bit her lip before looking back down, threading her fingers together nervously in her lap. "I heard you trying to get in here," she whispered.

He knew she was leaving some things unsaid. She must have heard the concern in his voice. He silently cursed himself for letting his emotions get so out of control. He always hated making her feel uncomfortable, and he desperately didn't want her pushing him even farther away. He stared at her for a moment before responding. "I hate hearing you hurt," he said softly. "I hate that I can't do anything to help."

It was taking every ounce of self-control he had not to pull her into his arms, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle when he saw the tears slipping down her cheeks. He lost it then. The ever-controlled, ever-distant, ever-collected Elsa, the girl who never let anyone see any form of emotion, was sitting in front of him in tears. He shifted closer to her, then leaned forward to pull her hands apart, ignoring her sharp intake of breath as he threaded his fingers between her own.

Elsa snapped her head up to look at him and tried to tug her hand back, a look of panic in her eyes. "Kris, please—"

He shook his head. "I've watched you suffer for too long, Elsa. I'm not going to let you suffer anymore." Very slowly, so that she could see what he was about to do, he stretched out his other hand and rested it gently against her forearm. She flinched slightly, but didn't pull back. He gazed steadily at her as he slipped his hand up, stopping close to her shoulder. She blinked rapidly at him for a moment before her tears intensified. Quickly, so he couldn't convince himself not to do it, he reached forward and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly against his chest.

She stiffened momentarily. Kristoff could feel her panicking, could feel her frantic heartbeat. But the next moment, she sagged against him with a choked sob, pressing her forehead against his neck. Her skin was extremely cool to the touch, and he briefly wondered how on earth she'd been sweating moments ago. But the sound of her anguished sobs washed away all thought, and he pulled her closer, murmuring soothingly in her ear.

Minutes later, when she had finally quieted some, he reached up to run his fingers down her thick braid, his other hand still holding hers tightly. "How long has it been? Since something like this?"

Elsa pulled back a little, drying her eyes. "Since I let someone hold me?" When he nodded, she glanced down at her lap. "A little less than three years ago. It was a particularly bad one. Anna insisted."

He was silent for a moment, heart aching for her. "And since someone has touched bare skin?" he asked softly, rubbing his thumb gently against her arm.

Her gaze flicked up to meet his. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out, so she closed it. After several long moments, she glanced down again. "I'm sure my parents held me when I was a baby. I mean…logically, I know they had to have touched bare skin. But I don't—" She swallowed hard. "I don't actually remember anyone ever doing it," she whispered.

Kristoff blinked rapidly. "I— I thought Anna must have—"

"No," Elsa said softly. "That was one thing I never let her do."

A moment of complete silence passed before Kristoff hurriedly attempted to release her hand. "Elsa, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

She gripped his hand tighter. "Please…don't let go," she said, voice breaking a little. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks as she glanced at him.

Kristoff's heart nearly broke in two. He rested one hand against the small of her back once again, untangling their fingers and bringing his other hand up slowly to brush away her tears. Her breath hitched when his fingers touched her cheek, but she held his gaze. He kept his hand resting against her cheek, watching her eyes, gently brushing away her tears with his thumb as they came. Eventually, his brow creased with concern and he pulled her back against his chest, his hand coming to rest between her shoulder blades. The coolness of her skin beneath his fingers was oddly comforting.

"I hate that you have to go through this. I hate that it hurts you," he said gently.

Elsa sighed, pressing into him. "It kind of builds up, I guess, like pressure. I feel it in my chest. I know when they're going to happen because it starts to ache more, and then just spreads. By the time the shudders come, it's not just my chest that hurts. It's all of me." She shivered a little, fingers curling into his shirt, nails pressing lightly into his skin. "I don't even know how to explain what it feels like. But… Well, when it's over, I feel loads better. At least for a little while."

They sat there in silence for a while, Kristoff still cradling her against his chest. After a bit, he slipped the hand that was at the small of her back under her tank top, resting it gently against her skin. She stiffened again for a moment, but ultimately sagged back into him with a sigh. Both of his hands now rested against her bare skin, thumbs rubbing slow circles as he held her. They sat there for so long, and Elsa was so quiet, that Kristoff assumed she had fallen asleep. But she spoke not long after that, her voice soft and hesitant.

"Does my skin not bother you? I know it must be cold."

"Cool," he corrected, "not cold. And no, it doesn't. I actually kinda like it." He could feel her smile against his skin.

"Really?"

"Yeah," he said softly, pulling her a little closer to prove his point, his hand slipping a little higher up her back to a cooler patch of skin. Her breath hitched again, causing him to pause. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable. I just—"

When he tried to pull his hand away, Elsa twisted an arm behind herself and held him in place. "It's fine. You've never made me uncomfortable," she said softly.

Kristoff blinked, startled. "Even before this?"

"Even before this," she whispered. "Any time that I pulled back from you before, I just— didn't want you to find out. And I didn't want to hurt you. I still—" She cut herself off, pulling in a deep breath. "I don't know why I'm letting you do this," she mumbled.

"I'm glad that you are," Kristoff said softly.

They were silent for a while longer before a loud buzz broke the peacefulness, making both of them jump. A voice filtered in through a speaker set in the wall. "Elsa, your sister is out here. She's worried sick."

Elsa sighed a little, then pulled out of Kristoff's grip, reaching behind him to press a button on the wall near the head of the bed. "We'll be out in a minute," she said, barely loud enough to be heard. She leaned back into Kristoff for a moment, eyes closing as he slipped his hands back under her tank top, gripping her sides. "You know, I usually hate this room," she said quietly. "But right now, I don't want to leave."

"Yeah," Kristoff murmured. She was so tiny and his hands were so large that he could almost span her waist without even stretching his fingers. He slipped one of his thumbs higher, brushing the side of her ribcage, loving the way her muscles tensed when he did. After a moment, he spoke again, voice soft. "But we both know how Anna gets when she's worried."

Elsa let out a bit of a laugh. "True. I suppose I shouldn't keep her waiting. She'll likely give me a good tongue-lashing when she finds out that I waited too long to come here." She pulled out of his grasp with a sigh and stood up gingerly, holding a hand out to rest against the wall, testing how steady she was on her feet. Kristoff kept a hand against the small of her back, waiting until she nodded before he let go. He bent down and retrieved her sweatshirt from the floor, handing it to her.

"Thanks," she said, staring at it for a moment before tugging it over her head. With a deep breath, she turned toward the door. "All right, let's go. Anna will fuss even more if I make her wait much longer."

Kristoff smiled a little and walked up behind her, keeping a hand against her back as they walked down the hall. She shot him a nervous look before they rounded the corner into the main part of the office, but he didn't move his hand. As soon as they had turned the corner, a redheaded blur sped toward them.

"Elsa!" Anna said anxiously, running up close, but stopping just short of them. Her gaze flicked from Elsa to Kristoff, taking in how close they were standing. She blinked rapidly for a second, glancing back at Elsa to see a small smile on her face.

"I'm fine, Anna," she insisted, taking a small step forward so that Kristoff's hand fell from her back.

Anna eyed the two of them again, a frown furrowing her brow. "What happened?" she asked, curiosity edging her voice.

Elsa sent a nervous glance toward Kristoff again, the tips of her ears reddening just a little. "I'll tell you later," she mumbled.

"But—"

"Later, Anna!" Elsa said forcefully. Anna huffed and crossed her arms. Elsa sighed and turned toward the front desk, ignoring her sister for a moment. There was only one secretary left now, the one that had ushered Kristoff down the hall. He saw her smile gently at Elsa and wondered if Elsa knew just how much the people in this office seemed to care for her.

"Thank you for staying late for me," Elsa said, sending the woman an apologetic smile.

"It's no trouble, dear. Do I need to send for the nurse?"

Elsa shook her head. "No ma'am. It wasn't that bad this time."

A sad, concerned look crossed the woman's face for a moment. Kristoff was sure he looked the same. Eventually, she nodded and started packing up her things. "All right. Be careful going home."

"I will. Thank you," Elsa said softly. She turned around to grab her things, but discovered that Kristoff had already picked them up. "I can get that, you know."

He smiled at her. "It's fine, I've got it. I park near you anyway."

Elsa nodded, then led the way silently out of the office, Anna and Kristoff following just as quietly behind her. Kristoff could tell that she was still aching a little, even though she was doing her best to pretend that she wasn't. He was thankful that school had already let out, because the halls were mostly empty. By the time they made it to her car, none of them had said a word. Kristoff knew Anna was nearly bursting with questions though, so he handed Elsa her things and made his goodbye short.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he said quietly, watching as Anna got in the car and shut the door. His gaze flickered back to Elsa, catching her staring at him.

"Yeah," she answered, glancing down.

They both stood there silently for a moment before Kristoff pulled his backpack around to his front and opened it up. He tore off a small piece of paper out of one of his notebooks and rummaged around for a pencil. When he'd found one, he scribbled furiously for a few seconds, writing down his phone number. He handed her the piece of paper when he was finished.

"Text me. Or call. Whichever. Just…talk to me. Okay?" he asked.

Elsa nodded. She stood there silently for a bit, staring at the paper in her hands. Kristoff watched the wind muss her hair a little, eyes following a platinum blond strand as it slipped from her braid. He sighed internally, hoping that he didn't have some ridiculously dreamy look plastered on his face. He shook his head a little and then backed up.

"Bye, Elsa."

She glanced up just as he started to walk away. He barely heard her whispered goodbye. A moment later, she called out to him. He turned back around and glanced at her questioningly.

"Thank you," she said softly.

He sent her a smile as he turned around and headed to his car.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Happy Monday everyone! So this chapter is pretty much all fluff...it was about time for a break in the intense, angsty stuff. We have some lovely sister time in this one, a nice chat with Kristoff, and some mother-daughter interaction! Woo! This is probably one of my favorite chapters, so I hope you like as well! As always, thanks for all the reads, follows, and favorites! You guys rock!**

* * *

Chapter 5

The second that Elsa's car door had shut, Anna nearly exploded.

"Okay, seriously, what was _that_?" she spluttered.

Elsa jumped a little, then glanced at the piece of paper still clasped in her hands. "What was what, Anna?"

"Are you _kidding_ me?" Anna said, speaking so fast that Elsa could barely understand her. "What happened between you two? What happened to 'He makes me all jumpy,' and 'I can't focus around him,' and 'He makes it hard to breathe sometimes,' and all that?"

"He still makes me jumpy," Elsa mumbled, rubbing the back of her neck and shoving the piece of paper in her pocket. "And I'm pretty sure I'll always have difficulties focusing around him. And breathing normally, for that matter."

Anna waved her hands around, like Elsa wasn't getting her point. "Yes, yes, but how do you go from _that_, from not even talking to him, to walking out of that room with him _touching you_?" Elsa winced a little and Anna crossed her arms smugly. "Yeah, you thought I missed that, didn't you? Seriously, you let him touch you?"

Elsa let out a bit of nervous laughter. "Umm, well…"

"Oh my goodness, there's even more," Anna said, sinking back into the seat dramatically.

"Can it wait until we get home?" Elsa pleaded. "I'd rather not have this discussion in the middle of the school parking lot."

"Fine, fine," Anna told her. "But drive fast."

Elsa laughed. By the time they made it home, she thought Anna might spontaneously combust from having to hold in her questions. Elsa was mildly impressed though. Her sister managed to keep quiet for the entire drive, though she did tap her foot impatiently a time or two. Anna stayed silent all the way into the house and upstairs into Elsa's room. As soon as they'd shut the door, Anna hopped up on the bed and stared at Elsa expectantly.

"Spill. Now."

Elsa climbed up beside her sister, careful to sit far enough away that they didn't have a chance of touching. "What do you want me to say?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Gah, you're terrible at this. Okay, start from the beginning. How did he end up at the office with you?"

Elsa crossed her legs and stuffed her hands in the pocket of her hoodie. "Well… I _might_ have waited a little longer than I should have."

"Elsa!"

"I know, I know," she said, wincing. "But I honestly thought I could make it until we got home. It's getting harder to tell exactly when they'll come. They're starting to come faster now. I guess I should have just gone earlier rather than later, but you know I hate missing class." She glanced down at her lap, biting her lip. "I made it through about fifteen minutes of history before it got so bad that I was almost constantly trembling. Kristoff— he carried me to the office." She let out a small laugh. "Sprinted, actually. It's a good thing too. I wouldn't have made it otherwise."

Anna sent her a stern look. "If I wasn't so interested in you and Kristoff, I would seriously scold you right now."

Elsa laughed, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "I figured." She stared at the wall opposite them for a moment, trying to pull her thoughts together. "He tried to get in," she ended up whispering.

"While you were…?"

Nodding, Elsa glanced down at her knees. "Yeah. I heard him. I couldn't understand most of what he was yelling, but… Well, he sounded upset. I mean— really upset. He was kinda trying to bust down the door." She smiled a little. "And I heard him call my name," she said softly. "The way he said it…" She paused for a moment, then swallowed nervously. "I guess that's why I called him in when it was over with. I don't know."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Just the two of you?"

Elsa exhaled slowly, still focusing on her knees. "Yeah. It took me a little bit to catch my breath, so it was quiet in there for a while. But then he…" She took a shaky breath, nerves building up in her chest once again. "Anna, I wasn't looking at him, and he— he—" She swallowed hard. "Anna, he grabbed my hand. I-I couldn't stop him, I… I mean, I was crying when he did it, so I couldn't really see much anyway, but…"

Anna was staring at her, a look of complete shock on her face. "He touched bare skin?"

Elsa took a deep breath and nodded. "And… Well, he…" She crossed her legs again and twisted her hands together in her lap.

"Be still," Anna scolded. "You're making _me_ nervous."

Elsa sent her a sheepish smile. "Sorry. Anyway, he…he ended up pulling me into his lap. And I'd taken my sweatshirt off, so I was just in my tank top, and…" She broke off, sucking in another nervous breath.

"He ended up touching quite a bit more than your hand, didn't he?" Anna asked softly.

Elsa let out a nervous laugh. "Uh, yeah…a bit."

Anna sent her a curious glance. "Umm, you guys didn't like…make out in there or anything, did you?"

"Wha—" Elsa reached for a pillow, then smacked her sister with it. "_God_, no. Why would you… I mean, he— he doesn't…" She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. "It wasn't like that, Anna. I mean…he was just comforting me."

Anna grinned mischievously at her. "So, where exactly did his hands end up?"

Elsa flushed and cleared her throat. When Anna burst into laughter, she groaned and put her head in her hands. "Oh, leave me alone." She pulled her hood over her head when Anna kept laughing, doing her best to hide the raging blush on her cheeks. When her sister had finally quieted some, she sat up and pushed her hood back. "Seriously, Anna. I don't think he meant it as anything. He was just— well, proving a point, more than anything."

"What point?" Anna asked, still grinning. "Was he trying to show you what he'd like to—"

"Whoa," Elsa said, cutting Anna off. "I don't even _want _to know why that was about to come out of your fourteen year old mouth." Anna sent her a look that said clearly that she thought she was right. Elsa rolled her eyes. "Look, nothing happened in there. I don't want to push it, okay? I'll take being friends with him over nothing at all. And I still don't think he likes me like that."

"Oh, whatever," Anna said. "When he finally kisses you, I won't say I told you so." She stretched out her legs and then laid back against the pillows, resting slightly on her elbows. "So you're okay with him doing that? Touching bare skin?"

"I think so," Elsa said softly. "I mean…it helped a little, actually. I— I didn't ache quite so badly when he…" She trailed off, not wanting to explain exactly what he did. She wasn't really sure why it had helped either.

Anna was quiet for a moment. "So…what about me?"

Elsa winced a little. "Will you be upset with me if… I mean, I don't think Kristoff will stop doing it now, and I don't know if I can handle…" She sighed and bit her lip. "One person is hard enough to handle. Two might be— a bit much for me right now?"

Anna smiled at her. "It's fine. No bare skin. But as long as there's a layer of clothing between us…?"

After a moment's hesitation, Elsa nodded. "Sure," she said softly. Anna's face lit up, and she almost surged forward to wrap Elsa in a hug. Elsa flinched a little though and Anna paused. "Just…take it slow, okay? This is hard for me. Seventeen years without physical contact is a long time."

Anna nodded. "I'll do my best." She reached out to rest a hand on Elsa's shoulder, smiling.

* * *

Elsa sent Kristoff a text that night while she was in her room. She was hoping that it might take the edge off her loneliness. Even though things were a little less strict between her and Anna now, Elsa still felt safer in her room, especially now that Anna could hardly stop herself from reaching out to touch her. It was a little overwhelming, so Elsa holed herself up in her room after dinner and didn't plan on leaving until the next morning.

She waited a little impatiently for Kristoff to respond, lying on her back on her bed and staring at the ceiling. Finally, her phone buzzed. It was such a foreign sound that she jumped. She never really used her phone. Glancing down, she read his response. _"Hey! You have no idea how stupidly happy I am right now. I'm glad you texted me… How's it going?"_

Elsa grinned a little. _"I've been worse. Kinda shut myself in my room for the night though. You started something…"_

"_Oh? And what was that?"_

Elsa bit her lip. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to start this topic of conversation. Still, she was the one that brought it up. And Kristoff was kind enough to end the conversation if she started feeling uncomfortable. _"Well, Anna kinda saw your hand on my back when we were in the office. So…she demanded answers, and one thing led to another, and now I've told her she could…as long as there's something between us, she can touch me. And I tried to get her to take it slow, but you know Anna. I was a bit overwhelmed, so I came up here."_

It took a bit longer for him to respond this time. _"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start anything. I hope she's not giving you trouble."_

"_No, no, it's fine. I promise. I mean…I'm happier than I've been in a long time. I just need some time to adjust. And no, she isn't giving me trouble, not about that anyway."_

"_What is she giving you trouble about?"_

The tips of Elsa's ears reddened. She debated deflecting, or just refusing to answer, but she was trying to get over her nervousness around Kristoff. Maybe telling him this would make it a little easier, maybe him knowing that she wasn't trying to push him would make things less tense between them. _"Well…she kinda assumed that we'd been making out in that room. So she's been teasing me all afternoon."_

"_She would assume that." _Elsa could visualize him rolling his eyes. It made her smile. She was about to respond when he sent her another text. _"Hey, would you be okay if I called you? It's easier than texting. And I'd like to hear your voice."_

Her heart thumped a little. _"Sure."_

A moment later, her phone was ringing. She stared at it for a second before answering. "Hello?"

"Hey," Kristoff said softly. She could hear the smile in his voice. "This is so much better. I'm not that good at texting. My fingers are too large, it makes typing things a bit difficult."

Elsa laughed softly. "That's okay. This is nice. I think I prefer this anyway."

"I know I do," he responded. He paused for a moment, then said, "I can't believe Anna thought that."

Elsa laughed again. "I can." The second that left her mouth, she panicked slightly. She rushed to think of a way to explain that statement. "I mean, she's always thinking that way. Her mind is always in the gutter."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, chuckling. Mercifully, he let the subject drop after that. "So, are you just sitting in your room?"

Elsa nodded, then remembered that he couldn't see her. "Yeah."

"How on earth do you not get bored?"

She rolled over onto her stomach, propping herself up on a pillow. "I do sometimes. But normally I just read a lot." He asked her what her favorite books were after that, which got the conversation rolling. Elsa spent ages talking to him about some of the things she'd read, books that she loved and others that she hated. He was a good listener, always making comments at the right time and asking all the right questions. He seemed genuinely interested in what she was interested in, like he really wanted to get to know her.

Eventually, their discussion moved away from books. They talked about everything they could think of, from the classes at school that they couldn't stand to their favorite music, and everything in between. Elsa found that she had quite a lot in common with him, that even their personalities were similar. There were plenty of things that he talked about that Elsa had no experience in though. He'd told her it was a shame that she'd been so sequestered her whole life and that he planned to change that somehow.

Elsa had no idea how long they talked. They were in the middle of a completely random discussion about snowflake patterns when Elsa heard a knock on her door. She told Kristoff to hold on, then put him on hold so he wouldn't hear anything.

"Elsa?" Anna called.

Her gaze darted to the door, making sure it was locked. She sighed quietly and flopped back onto her pillows. "Yeah?"

"Who are you talking to?" Anna asked curiously.

Elsa bit her lip. "Uhh…" She didn't really see a way out of this one. Kristoff was really the only person she had to talk to besides her sister.

Anna laughed a little. "Oh, never mind. Tell your boyfriend I said hello."

"Anna," Elsa groaned. "For the last time, he is _not_ my boyfriend, and we did_ not_ make out in there!"

"You are so fun to tease," Anna replied. Elsa could hear the smirk in her voice. "Anyway, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Love you!"

"Love you too," Elsa called back, smiling. She watched the light under her door, making sure Anna had actually gone to her room before going back to her phone. "Sorry," she told Kristoff. "That was Anna."

He chuckled a little. "Was she teasing you again?"

"Yes," Elsa huffed. "I don't think she'll ever drop it. I know she doesn't actually believe it, she just likes to embarrass me."

Kristoff murmured an agreement, then was quiet for a moment. Elsa could tell that he was trying to figure out how to word what he was thinking, so she let the silence be for a while. Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke. "Elsa, I really hope I didn't make you uncomfortable today. I promise I wasn't trying to. I just… You looked like you needed to be held," he said softly.

Elsa bit her lip, glad that they were having this discussion on the phone and not in person. "I did," she answered, just as quietly. "You really didn't make me uncomfortable. I mean— I was shocked. And I kinda panicked a little at first. But it was…nice," she finished.

He didn't seem to hear the last word she uttered. "I will totally understand if you don't want me to do anything like that again, Elsa. I mean— I don't want to make things awkward or anything. I kinda like things like this. I just—"

"Kris," she said softly, cutting him off. "It's fine, really. It actually kinda helped. I mean… For some reason, the pain eased a little when you…well, when you touched bare skin. It kinda took the ache away," she said, cheeks flushing and wondering why she was telling him that.

"Oh," he said. "Really?"

Elsa smiled a little. "Yeah. So it's fine. Promise. You could— you could do it again," she whispered. "I mean— I'd like for you to. If you wanted." Part of her almost wished he would take that differently than she intended, almost wished that he would read into it, that he would find out how she really felt. But most of her was thankful that he didn't.

"I'd like that," he replied softly.

Elsa blinked back a few tears. They were way too close to sensitive topics, way too close to things that she wanted to say but didn't have the courage to. So she did what she always does and pulled back. "It's kinda late. I guess I should get off and get to sleep."

"Yeah," Kristoff agreed, but he sounded a little disappointed. "This was nice, Elsa. I…" He paused for a second. "Call me whenever you'd like, okay? I'm always available to talk to."

"Thanks," she said softly. "I'll see you tomorrow."

When she'd finally hung up, she sighed and sank back against her pillow. That had been so much easier than she'd thought it would be. Granted, they had been talking on the phone instead of face to face. But it wasn't nearly as hard to keep herself in check as she expected. Maybe she really could do this. She desperately wanted it to work out.

Her phone buzzed again and she glanced down to see that her sister had texted her. _"Just so you know, you talked for like five hours. On the phone. With Kristoff."_

Elsa grinned. _"Shut up or I'll block your number."_

* * *

Elsa rapidly discovered that it really wasn't so difficult to talk to Kristoff. After that first phone conversation, things became noticeably easier for her. He walked with her in the halls as often as he could the next school day, talked quietly with her when he knew they wouldn't be overheard. He kept his distance physically, for the most part. He would occasionally place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but only if she could see it coming. He made sure that she wanted it to happen before actually going through with it.

Nerves were still a bit of an issue around him, but it was getting better. Part of her wondered if he even noticed how flustered she got around him sometimes. He did seem to be a bit oblivious when it came to things like that. Or at least, that's how it looked from her point of view. Still, it was a blessing that he didn't mention it; she was still trying to get her mind used to the possibility of a relationship. Now that he'd seen what she could do, and shown her that he wasn't at all afraid of touching her, she was starting to think that it could actually happen. But she didn't want to get her hopes up, because she wasn't even sure if he wanted that.

Still, it was obvious to her that he cared about her. He constantly watched her at school, kept his eyes open for any sign that she wasn't feeling her best. By that Friday, she was positive that he had watched her enough to know that she was close to an episode. She tried her best to hide it, but she thought he probably saw right through her anyway. Tiredly, she pushed through the day, hoping that the pain would hold off until she got home. But by the time she was on the way to history, she was hurting enough that she wasn't quite sure if she'd make it.

Elsa felt Kristoff's eyes on her during the entire class period. Clearly, he could tell that she was hurting. As soon as class let out, he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, not letting her leave. His eyes searched hers, giving her that look again, the one that told her just how much he wished he could take all the pain away, that he would take it upon himself if he could. Elsa's heart fluttered, but she held his gaze.

"Look, I know you're hurting. I'm not sure how long you'll last, but it looks like it might happen any minute now. I'll drive you and your sister home. I can drive you both to school on Monday, since your car would be here."

Elsa shook her head. "I can make it," she said quietly, eyes flicking to the side to watch the last of the students trickle out of the classroom. When she glanced back at Kristoff again, he was frowning at her.

"I wasn't asking," he said, giving her a stern look.

"Kris—"

"Elsa," he said, crossing his arms and holding her gaze.

She watched him for a second before glancing down at the floor. "Fine," she mumbled. When she looked back up, she tried to scowl at him. But she wasn't really angry at him and her mouth didn't seem to want to scowl. She ended up rolling her eyes. The way he smiled told her that he knew she liked it.

Anna seemed a little surprised that Kristoff was driving them home, but almost immediately that turned into concern. She watched Elsa closely the entire car ride, placing a hand on her shoulder when Elsa winced a little. By the time they were almost home, Elsa was nearly panicking. She was having to hold back tremors, and it wouldn't be long before she couldn't hold them back anymore. She'd never cut it this close before; she really didn't want Kristoff to have to pull over on the side of the road and get Anna away, but she was afraid that might end up happening anyway.

Thankfully, they made it home in time. She was already in tears when he pulled up in their driveway. When he parked the car, Elsa leaned forward to rest her head on the dashboard, taking a few gasping breaths. She heard her door open, but didn't pay the sound any attention. Kristoff pushed her backward to get her out of her seatbelt, then scooped her up in his arms and ran. Anna had already sprinted to the front door and was holding it open for him.

As soon as he placed her on her bed upstairs, she curled into a ball with a groan. She glanced up to see Kristoff still standing in her room, tears in his eyes. Elsa took another gasping breath and weakly waved him away. "Kris, go," she said, sucking in a sharp breath a moment later and letting out a sob.

"I…" Kristoff ran a hand through his hair. "_God_, Elsa," he whispered. "I wish I could take it all away."

"I know," she responded, tears rolling down her cheeks and heart clenching painfully with emotion. God, did she love that boy. She tucked her head in and let out another shuddering sob, then glanced back up. "_Please_ go," she said softly. "I don't want to hurt you."

He looked as if that last statement hurt to hear. But he nodded and backed out of the room. Elsa nearly sighed with relief. Not a moment later, she let out a chilling scream, her magic bursting forth and coating the room in a blanket of wintry weather. She fought for breath, trembling and sweating and groaning in pain. She knew this was just a normal one, because it hadn't taken long for her magic to release. But for some reason, the pain was nearly as intense as it was during the bad ones. She sobbed, desperately wishing that it was over with. These episodes were getting harder and harder to handle.

Finally, after close to twenty minutes of torture, the pain backed off. It took her another five minutes just to catch her breath enough to sit up. She pushed herself up and swung her legs off the side of her bed, her heart still beating a little faster than normal. A few minutes later and she finally trusted herself on her feet. She stood up slowly, keeping a hand on her bed to test her balance. She hadn't managed to shed her sweatshirt before it got really bad, so she was practically drenched in sweat. Walking unsteadily to her closet, she stripped out of her hoodie and tank top, then pulled some clean ones off their hangers. She made her way shakily to her bathroom, splashing some cold water on her face and neck, sighing a little at the instant relief. When she felt a little cleaner, she pulled on her shirt and sweatshirt, then made her way slowly downstairs, a steadying hand against the wall as she took each step. By the time she made it to the bottom, her legs felt a little shaky again.

She rounded the corner into the living room, noticing that Kristoff was still here. The second he saw her, he surged to his feet and walked quickly toward her. He stood close to her, barely an inch between them, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

Elsa nodded, but let her head fall forward out of exhaustion. Kristoff understood, sweeping her into his arms and carrying her to the couch. He sat down with her in his lap, leaning her back against his chest and wrapping his arms around her waist. Elsa let her head sag backwards, eyes closed. The way they were sitting made her a bit nervous, but she was much too exhausted to protest. She jumped a little when she felt someone's hand against her thigh and cracked open her eyes to see her sister looking at her with concern.

"Elsa?" she said softly.

Elsa closed her eyes again and leaned her head to the side to rest against Kristoff's. "I'll be all right," she murmured. A moment later, Anna pulled her hand back. The three of them sat there in silence for a few minutes, Elsa feeling so physically drained that she didn't know if she would move at all for the next several hours.

She twitched, startled, when she felt Kristoff slip his thumb under her hoodie and tank top, brushing it gently across her skin. She let out an involuntary sigh at the feel of his skin against hers. Kristoff chuckled softly in her ear, then slid the rest of his hand under her shirt, palm flattening out against her stomach. The tiny bit of tension left in her muscles quickly evaporated and she sagged back against him, completely relaxed now. Her stomach fluttered madly with any tiny shift in position from him, with every minuscule movement of his hand. But she could handle it.

Elsa slowly slipped out of consciousness, so content and exhausted that she couldn't keep the need to sleep at bay. It was comfortable, resting in Kristoff's arms. When she was startled awake sometime later, she realized briefly that it was almost dark outside. That wasn't at all what most of her mind was focused on though. Her mother was standing in the doorway to the living room, looking completely bewildered. Her calling Elsa's name had been what woke her.

Elsa bit her lip and glanced down a little, eyeing where Kristoff's hand still rested against her skin underneath her sweatshirt. She swallowed and looked back at her mother. "Wha— umm…ma'am?" Kristoff shifted a little, making the tips of her ears redden. Apparently he had fallen asleep as well. But he was awake now, and the second that he noticed her mother standing in the doorway, he slipped his hand slowly out of her hoodie. Elsa nearly groaned at the movement, but bit her tongue and managed to hold herself in check.

Helen blinked a few times and then crossed her arms, frowning. "Kitchen. Now."

Elsa flushed. "Yes ma'am," she said softly. She slid out of Kristoff's lap, keeping her head down. She was pretty sure Anna was holding back laughter at this point. Her heart raced a little out of panic as she followed her mother to the kitchen. Helen sat down at the breakfast table and gave Elsa a stern look. Still, Elsa thought she saw a hint of something else in her mother's eyes, something she couldn't quite figure out.

"Now, care to explain?" her mother asked quietly, keeping her voice down so the conversation wouldn't carry into the living room.

Elsa opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She closed it again and rubbed the back of her neck, glancing down. A quiet chuckle from her mother made her snap her head back up. Helen was smiling at her.

"You aren't in trouble, sweetie. I'm just wondering who you are and what you've done with my daughter. Because the Elsa I know couldn't handle being in the same _room_ as Kristoff, let alone sitting in his lap with his hand under her shirt."

Elsa flushed even brighter. She sat down next to her mother, keeping her gaze focused on the wood of the table. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts, but eventually she explained the events of that Tuesday, telling her mother about the episode that she'd had at school. Helen listened quietly the entire time. When Elsa was finished, she sat quietly for a moment before stating, "It just…it helps, Mom. I don't know why, but it does. I had another one this afternoon, right after school. And I was aching when it was over with. But we sat there like that for a while, and… Well, I feel better now."

Helen sent her a smile. "So this is why I've seen you let Anna reach out a few times this week?"

Elsa nodded. "Yes ma'am. Though it's been a bit overwhelming. And I still don't…I mean, I'm not sure…" She paused, taking a deep breath. "I'm not ready to test this with anyone else yet," she said softly, glancing up at her mother apologetically. "It's hard to get used to, after so long."

"I understand, sweetie," her mother murmured, smiling a little. She took a deep breath, then stood up and motioned for Elsa to do the same. "Go on, get back in there. Just make sure those hands stay away from inappropriate places," she added sternly.

Elsa desperately hoped that didn't carry far enough for Anna and Kristoff to hear it. She flushed rapidly again and looked down at the floor. She muttered a "yes ma'am" and quickly left the room, sighing with relief when she'd made it into the living room. Anna snorted with laughter and Elsa looked up at her, scowling.

"Not funny," she mumbled, seating herself back in Kristoff's lap, turning this time so she could see him better, her feet resting on the couch beside him.

"Hilarious," Anna countered, grinning as she turned to face them, crossing her legs. "Your face is so red right now. Did she give you 'the talk' again?"

Elsa scowled even harder at her sister. "_No_," she insisted, turning so she could press her forehead against Kristoff's neck.

He wrapped his arms around her, chuckling a little. "I didn't get you in trouble, did I?"

Elsa sat back up and glanced at him. His eyes told her that he didn't feel sorry at all. If anything, they were sparkling with mirth, as if he was holding back laughter. Elsa smiled softly. "No, you didn't." She heard her sister pull in a deep breath, and she cut Anna off before she could speak. "No more questions," she ordered, leaning back into Kristoff. He chuckled again, but slipped his hand back under her shirt. Elsa let out another sigh. She could get used to this.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Woo, Chapter 6! I don't have much to say this time around, but I would like to say a quick thank you to those of you that have reviewed! Thanks a bunch for leaving your comments! Also thanks for all the reads, favorites, and follows. You guys are the best! Also, as a quick side note, I promise I am working on the Beneath Your Beautiful AU! It will be the next story I post when this is done :)**

* * *

Chapter 6

Late night chats with Kristoff quickly became a nightly thing. Since he lived right next door, most afternoons and evenings he spent at their house, staying well past dinner sometimes. But even on those nights, they still ended up calling each other, often talking until the early hours of the morning. Elsa had trouble believing that just a few short weeks prior, she had hardly talked to Kristoff at all. Now, they were nearly inseparable. She hadn't thought it was possible to get along with someone so well. She got on swimmingly with Anna of course, but they did occasionally have their arguments, mostly due to their differing personalities. But she never argued with Kristoff, save for very rare bickering over her health or safety. All of those were never really arguments though; she protested, but she actually loved that he cared so much.

Kristoff had nearly insisted on being near her as often as possible, so by now she was perfectly comfortable around him. He didn't make her nervous anymore, at least not often. There were a few things he did that still had her pulse racing, or made her words catch in her throat. But instead of dreading those moments or letting them make her nervous to the point of anxiousness, she treasured them. She realized that it was actually exciting, the way he made her feel. It was easier to notice that once she'd gotten over her fear of touch, at least where he was concerned. Admittedly, it had taken her a little longer to get used to being touched than it did to get used to being around him. Honestly, she still wasn't totally used to it, and she figured it might be months, even years, before she was completely okay with being touched.

Anna still teased her rather frequently, especially now that she was quite comfortable with Kristoff touching her, but Elsa was okay with it by this point. Usually, Kristoff was present or able to hear when Anna did it, and they laughed together about it afterwards. There was always a tiny thought in the back of her head reminding her that she _wanted_ it to be that way, wanted Anna's teasing to be unnecessary because it was true. But she was getting better and better at shoving that thought to the side.

With how often Kristoff was at her house, he was nearly always present for her episodes now. For the most part, he didn't protest much when she went up to her room alone. He looked unhappy, but he let her go. But the times that she had an episode sneak up on her and he had to carry her to her room were a slightly different matter. He always left at the last possible moment and it terrified her every time. She tried to predict when her episodes would happen so that he didn't have to carry her, but they were becoming so inconsistent that it was hard to tell when she needed to go upstairs, and she ended up waiting too late more often than not.

This particular Friday ended up being one of those days. She was trying very hard to mask how much she was hurting. It wouldn't do any good to share the information. Anna and Kristoff would both worry. Plus, she figured that she had a few hours before it hit, and she wanted to spend as much time with Kristoff as possible. And she was hoping for some skin-to-skin contact, which would ease the pain a bit. She could handle this for a little bit longer if he would just hold her for a while. She tried not to think too much about that.

She still felt guilty that she was more comfortable with Kristoff touching her than she was her own sister. But Anna insisted that it was fine. She actually got a stupid grin on her face every time Elsa brought it up that made Elsa's ears burn. She had no idea why Anna grinned like that. It wasn't as if there was anything between the two of them. They were just good friends. She'd had a crush on him for years, but that was beside the point. She was positive that he didn't feel the same. In any case, his presence was a comfort, more so than anyone or anything had been before.

As the three of them walked into the house after school that day, Kristoff reached out to rest a hand on Elsa's shoulder, making her jump. It was moments like that that startled her, times when she couldn't see the contact coming. He smiled gently at her when she turned around, then grasped her hand and tugged her toward her chair. The look in his eyes told her that she hadn't been doing a very good job of hiding her pain.

When he sat down, he pulled her with him, seating her in his lap. He leaned her back against his chest, then placed his chin on her shoulder. She shivered a little when he slipped his hands under her hoodie, fingers fumbling for the edge of her tank top before sliding underneath. He pressed his hands against her skin, pulling her closer. She sighed and leaned back into him. It had become their typical position, the way they spent most of their time together, especially on days when she knew she would have an episode.

Anna wandered in from the kitchen then, a drink in her hands. She grinned when she saw the way they were seated. Elsa did her best to avoid Anna's gaze, the tips of her ears already heating up with mild embarrassment. Even though they had been doing this for about two months now, it still made her a little uncomfortable to be like this around her sister. Kristoff never seemed to mind though, so she put up with it. She tried not to make it a bigger deal than it was.

Anna made her way to the couch and sat down, still grinning. She opened her mouth, but Elsa cut her off. "Not a word, Anna," she ordered.

"Oh, you're no fun," Anna pouted.

"Yes, well," Elsa said, sucking in a quick breath when Kristoff shifted a little. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, resting it against the back of the chair. "Not in the mood to be fun," she mumbled eventually.

Kristoff chuckled a little, then shifted again and put his mouth right by her ear. "You okay?" he whispered.

She should have guessed that he'd ask. "Yeah," she breathed. "For a little while."

Anna turned on the television, not content to sit in silence like the other two. She flipped channels for a while before landing on a cooking show. Elsa blocked out the sound for the most part. She kept her eyes closed, focusing on the warmth of Kristoff's hands against her skin. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to that. It wasn't unpleasant, like when her episodes left her sweating. It was gentle, comforting. She'd never been one for heat of any form, until he came along.

Elsa had almost fallen asleep when a sharp, quick stab of pain shot through her. She twitched, grunting. Kristoff tightened his grip on her. She let out a shaky breath before bringing her head up and opening her eyes. Anna was glancing their way, worry already etched across her face. "It's fine," Elsa mumbled, leaning her head to the side to rest against Kristoff's.

A few minutes later, she discovered that it wasn't. Another jolt of pain washed through her veins. She sucked in a sharp breath, tightening her muscles, trying to fight it. It lingered this time, staying with her long enough to pull a few tears out of her. By the time it was gone, she was shaking.

Kristoff altered his grip on her, then stood with her in his arms. "Okay. Let's get you upstairs."

"Kristoff…" Anna said uncertainly.

"It'll be okay, Anna. I promise." Elsa had no idea what he meant by that, but she didn't particularly care at the moment. Pain gripped her once more, this time intense enough that she had to bite her tongue to keep from making a sound. She let out a bit of a sob when it passed, clutching Kristoff's shirt tightly. She heard the sound of a door clicking shut and assumed they had arrived in her room.

She opened her eyes when she felt Kristoff sit down with her on the bed. He scooted back to rest against her pillows, still holding her tightly in his arms. Elsa's stomach swooped with panic when she realized that he had no intention of leaving. "Kris, please let me go. You can't stay here," she whispered. A heat like molten lava pulsed through her veins, making her groan sharply, tears choking off the end of the sound.

He ignored her, pushing her forward a little and gripping the edge of her sweatshirt. He tugged it over her head, then slipped his hands beneath her tank top once again and pulled her back against his chest.

Elsa squirmed in his grip, trying and failing to get him to let her go. From the way the pain was intensifying, she could tell this would be a bad one. She didn't want him anywhere near her for this. She didn't want him to see her like this, to hear her. Not to mention, she seriously feared for his life if he stayed. She was terrified that when her magic finally did burst forth, it would kill him. "Kris, please," she begged, whimpering when another shock of pain stabbed through her chest. Tears were already coming fast and thick, tremors forcing her to shake violently in his arms.

"I'm not leaving you, Elsa. Not anymore."

Her breath came in short gasps now. She tensed and struggled in his grip, fighting the pain as well as him. A wave of heat built up in her chest and she moaned, the sound intensifying with the pain until she let out a spine-chilling scream. The second the pain let up just a little, she gulped in air, trembling. She knew this would be her last chance to get him out, the last momentary break that she would have for quite a while.

"Kris," she begged. "_Please_, I— I don't want you to see me like this."

He gripped her tighter, holding her steady through the spasms that wracked her body. "Elsa, I am _not _leaving you. Not now, not ever."

She let out a wail of emotion that turned into a chilling howl of pain. She gave up past that point. She was hardly coherent enough to form sentences anymore. The pain was so intense that she had little room for any thoughts besides how much it hurt. But she felt him there, constantly, holding her through it all. She had no idea how long it lasted. Like the all the other intense episodes, it seemed as if her magic was struggling to get out. After ages of shaking, writhing, screaming, and begging for it to stop, her magic finally exploded out of her.

When the initial wave of ice and snow was over with, and the pain had lessened by a fraction, a thought entered her mind through the haze that forced a desperate question to tumble from her lips. "Kris?" she breathed, barely able to hear her own voice over the sounds of the wind. She could tell that he was still holding her, but that was all. And it wasn't enough to reassure her.

"I'm right here," he murmured in her ear, making her heart nearly burst with relief, even through the pain that still gripped her. "I'm fine, Elsa. It's okay."

She cried even harder then, curling up tightly in his arms, still gasping and shaking with pain. She curled her fingers into his shirt, clutching it tightly in her fist. Tears were streaming constantly down her cheeks. It was difficult for her to breathe; she sucked in as much air as she could, but it never felt like enough. The intensity of the pain shot back up and she groaned, ending on a sob. Finally, after what felt like hours of torture, it began to back off.

As the agonizing pain finally began to leave her, she became coherent enough to notice a few things. They were no longer sitting up, but lying tangled together on her bed, Kristoff's arms and legs wrapped protectively around her. She rested against his chest, her ear pressed against him. The steady beat of his heart pounded away beneath her. Deciding that she wasn't quite coherent enough to handle those thoughts just yet, she pushed them aside, still gasping for breath.

After several more minutes, Elsa had caught her breath enough to speak. "How— how long?" she asked, voice hoarse and raspy from all her screaming.

Kristoff gently rubbed her back. "About forty minutes," he answered.

"Forty—" She sucked in a sharp breath, gripping him tightly. "You idiot, I could have killed you," she whispered.

"I had every bit of faith that you wouldn't," he said softly.

Her heart stirred with affection. She was shocked that he'd thought that way. She didn't have that much faith in herself; how could he? A few more tears sprung to her eyes and she squeezed them shut even tighter. After a few more minutes of silence, she spoke, glad that her voice wasn't quite so hoarse anymore. "How did you not freeze to death?"

Kristoff let out a huff of humorless laughter. "You were on fire, Elsa. Your body heat kept me warm enough. Plus, I had laid us down by the time it got really cold in here. The bed provided a little extra warmth." Elsa let out a nervous breath that he seemed to catch the meaning of. "I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable. It was just easier to hold you like this. You can move if you'd like."

She gripped him tighter, not moving. "No, this is fine."

After a moment, Kristoff slipped his hands back underneath her tank top, resting them against her once-again-cool skin. Elsa's heart thumped painfully in her chest for a moment. With their current position, and the way his thumb gently stroked her skin, it was difficult for her to control where her mind went. But she did her best to shove thoughts of the two of them aside, eventually latching on to something to say that might help to distract her.

"I hate that you had to see that," she said softly.

"And I hate that you had to go through it," he countered. "Elsa, I didn't want to be anywhere else while that happened. It was my choice to stay. And I'll do it again, every time I'm here for an episode."

She blinked back a few more tears. "Why?" she whispered, her heart in her throat.

He was quiet for a moment. "Because it hurts my heart that you've had to go through that alone for so long. I'll do my best to be here every time it happens, just so you don't have to go through it by yourself."

Elsa took a deep, shuddering breath. She still didn't understand. He would put himself deliberately in harm's way, just so that she didn't have to be alone? "But _why?_ Why do you care so much?"

Kristoff didn't answer her. Instead, he gripped her tightly and flipped them over, setting her gently against the mattress. He held himself up above her, resting his weight on his forearms. Elsa's breath caught. Lying against his chest was one thing. Being pressed into the mattress with his face so close to her own was something else entirely. She swallowed nervously and glanced at his eyes. She couldn't quite figure out the look he was giving her; at least, not until his gaze darted to her lips.

She sucked in another sharp breath, this one entirely out of nerves. So he _did_ think like that about her. The thought made her heart flutter furiously in her chest. He rested all of his weight on one arm, then brought up his other hand to rest against her cheek. His thumb gently brushed her skin, making her breath hitch again. He had touched her face before, but this felt so completely different, so intimate and tender. Panic was welling up in her chest, and she blinked rapidly at him for a moment.

"Kris…" she breathed. She knew he heard the panic in her voice. But she wondered if he heard something else, too. He smiled softly at her and leaned forward, brushing his nose against her own.

"I've touched your bare skin plenty of times, Elsa. It won't be much different," he murmured.

His breath ghosted across her cheek, making her stomach do a few flips. She stared at his warm, caramel-colored eyes as he pulled back a little. He stared back, still brushing his thumb against her cheek. She tried her best to resist, but in the end, her gaze slipped from his eyes, focusing on his lips. She glanced back up quickly, but it seemed that was all he was waiting for.

Elsa nearly stopped breathing when his lips met hers. The feeling was so foreign, and yet so incredible that she had to hold back a sigh. He was tentative at first, gentle; but when she slipped a hand up to grip the front of his shirt, he pressed harder against her. The only things she could focus on were the feel of his lips moving against her own and her pulse thrumming in her ears. When they finally broke apart for air, the fluttering in her stomach was so intense that she almost had trouble breathing again. The second she had enough air, she spoke, voice coming out breathless.

"No, that— that was _entirely_ different," she breathed, her gaze latching on to his. She reached up to brush her thumb across his jaw.

Kristoff smiled at her, seeming almost shy. "But it was a good different. Right?"

She blinked for a second, then nodded. "Yeah. And you can do it again," she murmured, tugging him back down for more.

He chuckled against her lips, thumb stroking down her cheek to her jaw as he kissed her. When he gently nipped her bottom lip with his teeth, she had the thought that he could _surely_ hear how fast her heart was beating. Her hands drifted down his chest to the hem of his shirt, fingers jerking it up and slipping underneath. Her stomach swooped at the feel of his taut muscles; she hadn't been expecting him to be so…defined. She pressed her hand against his skin, keeping it there when he pulled back. He nudged her cheek, getting her to turn her head, then trailed slow kisses down her neck.

Elsa struggled to keep breathing evenly. The closer he got to her collarbone, the more uneven her breaths became. He hummed with amusement against her skin, then brought his lips quickly back to her own. Things were getting heated so quickly that she couldn't help the bit of panic that started to swell in her chest again. Her brain finally caught up with the fact that they were _kissing_, his lips pressing insistently against her own, and she gripped him tightly, trying to fight the panic.

Kristoff pulled back instantly, eyes filled with concern. Elsa squeezed her eyes shut tightly and sucked in a few rapid breaths, trying desperately to get her emotions back under control. She jumped when she felt his hand against her cheek once more.

"Elsa," he said softly. "It's okay."

He stretched out beside her, then pulled her against his chest again, threading his fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck. His other hand rubbed soothing circles against her back. Elsa breathed deeply, still semi-panicking, but also ashamed that she was even feeling that way. When she'd calmed down some, she pressed herself against his chest and sighed. "I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"Don't be," Kristoff said gently. "I would have been surprised if you hadn't panicked at some point." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, hugging her tightly. "I promise it's okay. I'll stop any time you need me to."

Elsa nodded, grateful for how understanding he was being. After a few more minutes of lying there in the quiet, she remembered her sister. "Kris, we might need to go downstairs. Anna is probably wondering if you're even alive right now."

"Nonsense," he said, but he let her roll off of him anyway. "Neither of us think you're as dangerous as _you _do, Elsa."

She stared at him for a moment, then reached down for her sweatshirt and pulled it back on. Kristoff came to stand beside her, wrapping his arms around her in a tender embrace. Elsa's heart fluttered in her chest. "Thank you," she said softly. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead in response.

"Come on, let's go make sure you sister hasn't gone insane," he said, slipping his hand into hers and pulling her downstairs.

By the time they had made it halfway down the stairs, Elsa heard Anna sprinting toward them. When she caught sight of them, she visibly sagged with relief. "Geez, guys. I was nearly going crazy down here." She paused, taking a deep breath, then frowned at Kristoff. "You stubborn, stubborn man. I can't believe you did that."

He chuckled as they made it to the bottom of the stairs, stopping and pulling Elsa against his side. "It was worth it," he said softly, pressing a kiss to her temple. Elsa flushed so quickly that her cheeks even radiated heat.

Anna rolled her eyes. "About time," she muttered, before turning back toward the living room and heading for the couch. Elsa blinked rapidly at her sister's reaction, but Kristoff just belted out a laugh. Elsa grinned a little, glancing up at him. He met her gaze, smiling. They stared at each other for a moment before Elsa caught a hint of something in his eyes. No matter how much he insisted that he'd wanted to be there with her, she could tell that it was difficult for him.

Kristoff reached up to brush his thumb against her cheek. "I'm fine," he murmured.

Elsa blinked back a few tears, nodding and tilting her head down. She willed herself not to feel guilty. He wouldn't want her to feel that way. And he would insist that it wasn't her fault, just like Anna always did.

"Come on, lovebirds," Anna said with exasperation. "Don't just stand there all day."

* * *

Kristoff spent the entire afternoon and evening sneaking in kisses whenever he could. He did it so frequently that her panic at the intimate contact quickly eased away. He didn't seem to mind if Anna was in the room either. Elsa thought that _she_ would mind, but after the first few giggles from her sister, she learned to block it out. He was just a little too talented with his lips; she would take as much of that as she could get, even if it meant extra teasing from her sister. Anna would tease her mercilessly anyway.

Kristoff ended up staying for dinner that night. While Elsa was at the stove fixing her plate, he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, placing a soft kiss against the side of her neck. She bit her lip to keep from grinning, humming a little with pleasure. He chuckled, then reached past her for a roll and returned to the dining room. Elsa let out a bit of a sigh, standing at the stove in a daze for a moment. When she finally turned around to walk to the table, her mother was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, a slightly surprised look on her face. Elsa instantly felt guilty.

Helen tilted her head to the side for a moment. "Are you and Kristoff…"

Elsa bit her lip and glanced down at her plate. "I—" She paused and licked her lips. "Umm, yeah."

"When did that happen?" she heard her mother ask.

"Uh…this afternoon," she mumbled, reaching up to rub the back of her neck. When she chanced a glance at her mother, Helen was smiling.

"About time," she said brightly, moving to the stove to fix her own plate.

Elsa stood there blinking for a few moments, a little shocked that that had been the response. "Anna said the same thing," she said slowly, turning to glance at her mother.

Helen laughed. "I'm sure she did. It's been obvious that the two of you liked each other. We've been waiting for it for years, really. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long," she said, adding a roll to her plate. She smiled at Elsa again, then stepped forward and patted her gently on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you, sweetie. He's a good boy. Now, come sit down and eat before your food gets cold." Elsa smiled a little and shook her head, surprised at how easy that was.

By the time Kristoff had to leave that night, Elsa was full to bursting with happiness. The speed with which she went from merely enjoying contact from him to almost desperately craving it was a little unnerving, but also thrilling. Every time he grabbed her hand, or slipped his thumb under her shirt, or pressed a kiss to her skin, she had to suppress a shiver. When Kristoff finally tugged her out onto the front porch with him, she immediately pulled him into a hug, thankful for a moment or two alone. He rested his chin on the top of her head, one thumb gently rubbing between her shoulder blades as he held her.

Elsa tucked her head against his chest, sighing. "Today has been a good day," she murmured.

"It has," he agreed. "Even though your dad teased me a bit."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll get the worst of it once you're gone. Him and Anna always have been so alike. She'll probably tease me to no end once I get back inside," Elsa said, gripping the back of his jacket. She felt him shiver a little and she hugged him closer. "Cold?" she asked.

"It's a little chilly," he admitted. Then he pulled back and glanced at her with a smile. "But I'm guessing you're comfortable."

Elsa laughed. "Yeah, I'm fine. It feels great out here."

Kristoff stared at her eyes for a moment before reaching up to brush his fingers against her cheek. She leaned into his hand a little, closing her eyes. He rested his forehead against hers, thumb still gently stroking her skin. "By the way," he said quietly, "your sister has been watching us from the living room window this entire time. I think she thinks I haven't seen her yet."

"Figures," Elsa said softly. She opened her eyes, pulling back from him just slightly. The look in his eyes made her chuckle a little. "Go ahead. She's already going to tease me. There's really nothing you can do to make that worse at this point."

"Oh, I don't know about that," he breathed, then closed the distance between them and pressed his lips firmly to hers.

Almost instantly, his tongue was between her lips. Elsa shivered, goosebumps covering her neck as he threaded his fingers into the hair just behind her ear. He pulled her against him with a hand at the small of her back, fingers slipping under her shirt and brushing against her skin. She slid her hands inside the front of his open jacket, thumb tracing the rise and fall of his muscles through his t-shirt. He tilted his head to change the angle a little, then pressed his lips more firmly against hers, tongue slipping further into her mouth. He kissed her until she was completely out of breath, then pulled back slowly, tugging on her bottom lip with his teeth as he drew back.

Elsa tightened her grip on him, nails digging slightly into his skin, trying to hold herself steady. She shivered again when he brushed his thumb against the side of her neck. She pulled in a slow, deep breath, desperately trying to calm her racing heart. "That— that might have made it worse," she breathed.

Kristoff chuckled. "Do you mind?" he asked softly.

"Not at all," she whispered, tugging a little on his shirt so he would lean down to kiss her again.

He was gentle this time, his lips soft and slow against hers. When he finally pulled back, he pressed a kiss to her cheek and put his hands on her shoulders. "I hate to, but I have to go," he said softly. He took a step back, his hands slipping down to grasp her own. "Text me when your sister is done pestering you," he said, sending her a wink.

Elsa stuck her tongue out at him, then leaned against the railing to watch him walk home. She sighed a little, then made her way slowly to the door, trying to put off seeing her sister for as long as possible. Eventually, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open. As expected, Anna was waiting just inside the door. Elsa flinched when she squealed, then raised her eyebrows as Anna practically bounced with excitement.

"Upstairs," Anna said quickly. "Now." Elsa rolled her eyes, but let her sister herd her upstairs. When they had closed Elsa's door, Anna ran to seat herself on the bed, then grinned broadly at her sister. "First of all, that kiss was hot. Second, tell me everything."

Elsa scowled as she sat down. "Can't keep your eyes to yourself, can you?" Her scowl didn't last long though. Anna was adorable when she was excited. Plus, Elsa was a little too high on happiness to keep a grin off her face for very long. "And I'm not going to give it to you in detail, Anna. We kissed. End of story."

Anna scoffed. "Right. You guys were up here for a good bit longer than necessary. Making out the entire time, I suppose."

"We were _not_," Elsa said, flushing. She blinked when Anna sent her a disbelieving look, then tilted her head down and fiddled with the hem of her jeans. "Okay, well…not the _entire_ time. Just some of the time," she mumbled.

Anna let out a quick burst of laughter, then leaned on her knees and stared expectantly at Elsa. "So is he a good kisser?"

"Seriously? You just watched, what do you think?" Elsa retorted, sending Anna another scowl.

Anna raised an eyebrow. "Shiver-inducing, I noticed. And by the way, I'm surprised you didn't pass out from lack of air."

Elsa smacked Anna with a pillow, but grinned nonetheless. "Geez. Look, this is fun and all, but keep your eyes to yourself."

"Oh, don't worry," Anna assured her. "I do _not_ need to see any more of that. Once was enough to last me a lifetime." She grinned a little and nudged Elsa's shoulder. "You're adorable when you're embarrassed."

"Shut up," Elsa muttered, hitting Anna with her pillow again.

They were silent for a moment, then Anna sent her a mischievous grin once more. "Hey, Elsa. I lied."

Elsa frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"I told you so."

It took Elsa a minute to remember the conversation Anna was referencing, but when she did, she smiled and hugged her pillow to her chest. She didn't really mind Anna telling her that, not in this case.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry it took me so long to post this one today guys! I've been super busy today and just now got around to doing it. Anyway, as always, thanks a bunch to the people who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed! It is all much appreciated! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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Chapter 7

Kristoff waited impatiently outside their history classroom. He had taken to waiting just outside the door ever since the day he'd had to sprint with Elsa to the office. He knew she pushed herself to her limits, which often meant that any episodes that she had at school were during the last period. He'd had to carry her to the office two more times now. By this point, Mrs. Howell knew that any time Elsa had to leave class, Kristoff would too. He was thankful that she understood, that she could tell how much he needed to be there for her.

His eyes scanned the hallway, watching for her. Nerves bubbled in the pit of his stomach as he glanced at the clock inside the classroom. She was normally here by now. There was only a minute left until the bell rang. Finally, his gaze latched onto a head of platinum blond hair and he let out a bit of a sigh. But then he noticed how slow she was walking, the way her shoulders hunched forward, the slightly labored look to her breathing. His stomach did a sickening flip.

"Mrs. Howell," he called, poking his head inside the classroom door. She hastened toward him, her eyes already searching for Elsa the moment she could see the hallway. He noticed her eyebrows scrunch together. "I don't think she'll last long today," he said softly, hoping that his voice didn't carry into the classroom. The other students had gotten more curious ever since he started going with her to the office.

"I don't think so either," she agreed, sadness coloring her voice. "I'll print out the notes for today and have someone bring them by the office."

Kristoff nodded. "Thank you," he said, eyes still following Elsa's progress. She kept clenching and unclenching her fist. The second she was within reach, he stepped forward and grasped her hands. They were shaking already. He revised his previous thought. She wouldn't make it into the classroom at all today. They were heading straight for the office.

He gripped her hands tightly, trying to offer some comfort. "Bad or worse?" he asked softly. Mrs. Howell was still standing close, waiting until he told her what they were doing.

Elsa didn't answer. She sucked in a sharp breath, then tilted her head up slowly to look at him. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, her eyes already starting to glow a vibrant blue. Kristoff's heart lurched in his chest. They might not even make it to the office.

"Jesus," he whispered, snatching her up in his arms. He sent a brief glance to their teacher. The color had drained from her face.

"Go!" she said quickly, waving them away.

He didn't need telling twice. He sprinted toward the office, faster than he'd ever run in his life. There were still a few students in the hallways, but they backed up against the lockers when they heard him coming. Elsa shuddered hard in his grip, a choked sob escaping her lips. Kristoff's heart nearly stopped and he prayed that they'd make it. He put on an extra burst of speed, shouting at people who didn't get out of the way quick enough.

When he turned down the hallway that would lead to the office, relief burst through him as he noticed that one of the secretaries was holding the door open for him, her face pale. He sprinted into the office, nearly crashing into the front desk, then took a hard right. He slowed down a little as he neared Elsa's room, not wanting to run into anything. The other secretary, Mrs. Parsons he had learned, was holding the door open. He rushed inside, huffing out a hoarse thanks as he passed her.

Not thinking, Kristoff sat down on the edge of the cot with Elsa in his arms. She had turned to press her face into his chest, her hands twisting his shirt as she groaned. He bent his head down to rest against hers, still breathing heavily from his sprint. "It's okay, Elsa. I'm here," he murmured, rubbing her back.

Mrs. Parsons leaned in the door. "Kristoff, come on now. She looks close to losing it. You can't be in here."

He opened his mouth to protest, but Elsa beat him to it. "Please," she croaked, "let him stay."

The secretary just stared at them blankly for a moment. Kristoff gripped Elsa tightly as she shook, a lump already forming in his throat. "Mrs. Parsons, I've already sat through a few of these at home with her. I'll be okay."

Her brow creased with worry as Elsa trembled violently, whimpering. "Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

"Positive," he assured her, now rocking Elsa slowly back and forth. "Mrs. Parsons, you need to close the door," he reminded her gently.

The woman nodded slowly and backed out of the room, sending him one last worried glance before she pulled the door shut. Kristoff sighed with relief, then nudged Elsa forward a little and tugged her sweatshirt off. He laid back against the mattress, pulling her with him and settling her against his chest. She jerked in his arms and let loose an unearthly scream. Kristoff winced, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. It echoed a little in the small steel room, making it sound ten times worse.

He fumbled with the edge of her tank top before sliding his hands underneath. She let out a hiss at the contact, then exhaled heavily and sagged against him for a moment. Her skin was already burning, so hot to the touch that it was almost uncomfortable for him. He thought that his touch might help her some, like it usually did, but a second later she was writhing in his arms again, screaming. Tears pricked his eyes and he held her closer, trying to steady her a little.

"It's okay, Elsa. I promise. I'm right here," he murmured soothingly. He'd said much the same every time he'd sat with her, over and over again, letting his voice calm her down. He didn't know if she ever really heard what he said, but his voice had always seemed to soothe her a bit.

Nothing was calming her this time though. She shook fiercely in his grip, fighting for breath. Her skin was already peppered with sweat. He wished that he had some way to cool her down. He was sure that might help her a little. But there was nothing he could do. That thought nearly caused him to break down, but he shoved it to the side. He had to be strong for her.

During a brief lull in her spasms, she took a gasping breath and called out to him. "Kris," she said weakly. "It's bad…" Her words were blurred with tears, voice raspy from all the screaming she'd already done.

"I know," he said softly, thumbs rubbing gently against her skin. "I know, Elsa. I—"

"N-no," she whispered, breathing hard. A shudder ran through her again and she let out a heartbreaking sob. She gulped in more air, then gripped his shirt tighter. "Worse," she said quietly. A vicious tremor ran through her, drawing out another chilling scream. She arched her back, nearly jerking out of his grip, and pulled desperately at her shirt. The tremor went on for so long that Kristoff began to worry if it would ever stop. She screamed until she couldn't anymore, no sound coming out, but the way her muscles strained telling him that she was still in agony. Finally, she sagged against him. He was still worried though. It had been at least twenty minutes now, and she had yet to freeze the place.

"Kris, please," she begged, now constantly shivering, as if her muscles were complaining.

A tear slipped down his cheek. "Elsa, I don't— I don't know what to do," he choked out.

She let out a desperate howl of pain and frustration, back arching again. She was sobbing harder than ever, and still struggling to breathe properly. Kristoff pulled her closer, his hands shifting against her skin, causing her to suck in a sharp breath. He blinked for a moment, considering the idea that had just come to him. She groaned again, tensing in his arms, and he decided that it couldn't hurt to try. She'd told him before that skin-to-skin contact eased her pain a little. He hoped that if there was a little bit more of it, she would calm down some.

Sitting up quickly, he waited for a slight break in her shudders, then pulled her tank top over her head. She curled into a ball in his lap, head nearly resting on the mattress. She gripped her hair tightly as another tremor rolled through her. Kristoff hurriedly pulled his own shirt over his head, then reached for her and hugged her securely to his chest. He turned her as he laid back down so that her stomach was pressed against his own. He could feel her frantic heartbeat, her tensed muscles, the way her chest rose and fell rapidly with her breathing. Wrapping his arms tightly around her, he pressed as much of his skin to hers as he could.

The effect was almost instantaneous. With one last massive tremor, her magic finally burst out. Kristoff shivered slightly against the intense cold, but he hugged her closer and tried to draw as much body heat as he could from her. The storm raged around them for quite a while, but Elsa didn't do much more than whimper the entire time. Kristoff sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the skin-to-skin contact seemed to be working.

He knew the pain was backing off when she sagged into him, still breathing heavily and still shivering, but her muscles no longer tensed. He sighed a little with relief, gently rubbing her back with his thumbs as the storm receded. It took her a little longer than normal to catch her breath, but when she did, she spoke softly.

"That hurt," she mumbled.

Kristoff's chest tightened painfully. "I know, Elsa. God, I'm so sorry," he whispered, tightening his grip on her. She seemed to finally notice how they were lying at that point and her muscles tensed again, this time out of nerves rather than pain.

"Wha— umm, you—" She broke off, taking a deep, unsteady breath.

Kristoff smiled a little, despite the fact that he felt bad for making her uncomfortable. "Do you not remember me doing this?" He felt her muscles flutter slightly against his stomach.

"Umm, no," she breathed. "I don't— I mean, it's all a bit of a blur. Always is."

"Ah," he said softly, still rubbing gentle circles against her back. "Would you like your shirt back?" he asked her eventually, a bit of a playful edge to his voice.

She pushed herself up a little, as much as her quivering muscles would allow, and glanced at him. Kristoff noticed a bit of color to her cheeks. She bit her lip and looked down at his chest. "No," she whispered, her gaze flicking back up to meet his. "I mean— this helps. With the pain. Just—"

He reached up to brush his fingers across her cheek. Closing her eyes, she leaned into his hand with a sigh. Kristoff smiled softly. "It's all right," he said gently, understanding what she was trying to say. He pulled her back against his chest, closing his own eyes. She was still a little shaken from the whole ordeal, and he didn't want to push her. She rarely ever said anything about how much it hurt, so the fact that she mentioned it this time told him that it had been excruciating.

They lay there for quite a while, Elsa's skin finally returning to a more normal temperature for her. He knew they should probably get out of there, especially if they didn't want one of the secretaries walking in on them like this. But he was rather comfortable with her pressed against his bare chest, and if he wasn't mistaken, she was enjoying it just as much as he was.

A loud buzz cut through the silence, making both of them jump. "Kristoff? Is everything all right in there? It's been a little over an hour." Elsa pulled her head up to glance at him, a bit of a guilty look on her face. He was sure he looked the same. He smiled sheepishly at her before reaching behind his head for the button to the intercom.

"We're fine. It was a rough one this time. She's still recovering." It was mostly true. She _did_ look like she'd still be unsteady on her feet.

"Should I call for the nurse?" Mrs. Parsons called back.

Elsa shook her head at him, but he ignored her. "Just tell her to bring some medicine, if that's okay."

"All right. Anna is out here, by the way. School ended about fifteen minutes ago."

"We'll be out in just a minute," he replied, then pulled his arm back and wrapped it around Elsa once more. "I know you're too stubborn to ask for it. But you're going to need a muscle relaxer after this one."

She huffed at him. "I hate taking medicine. It makes me feel weak."

"Elsa," Kristoff said, sitting up with her and looking her in the eyes. "You are, by far, the strongest person I know. You should never feel weak. I don't know anyone else who could go through what you do without complaint. Needing a little help every now and then doesn't make you weak." He stood up, reaching out for her hands and tugging her to her feet. He wrapped her in a hug and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"But I won't be able to drive if I take one," she mumbled into his chest.

"Anna got her permit a few weeks ago. She can drive. I'll follow behind." He was going to win this argument. He could tell she was hurting just based on the way she was gripping him.

"But it makes me feel all woozy-headed. I don't like it," she protested.

"Elsa," he said sternly, pulling back and resting his hands on her shoulders, holding her gaze.

She frowned at him, but glanced down. "Fine," she said quietly. Kristoff kept his hands on her shoulders, still watching her. Slowly, she reached out and placed a hand on his chest, thumb lightly brushing his skin. Shivering a little, he slipped his hands off her shoulders and placed them gently against her ribs. When she looked back up, the tips of her ears had reddened.

Kristoff sent her a smile, then bent down for her tank top and hoodie. He handed them to her one at a time, letting her put them on, then grabbed his own shirt and tugged it over his head. Then he reached forward, placing a hand against her jaw to tilt her head up, and pressed his lips firmly to her own. It was short and simple, but passionate, with just a hint of desperation behind it, a hint at all the emotions that were flooding them. When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers, thumb gently stroking her cheek.

"I wanted to do that a few minutes ago, but I didn't trust myself enough to kiss you with your shirt off," he said softly. "You are _stunningly_ beautiful. I just don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Elsa's cheeks flushed and she glanced down again. "Thank you," she whispered. "No one's ever told me that before."

Kristoff tilted her head back up. "Trust me. They all think it."

Tears sprung to her eyes and she stepped forward to wrap him in another hug. Just then, another buzz broke the silence. "The nurse is here," Mrs. Parsons said through the intercom. Kristoff pulled away from Elsa and smiled at her, then grabbed her hand and walked toward the door. When he opened it, Mrs. Parsons was standing there, a look of concern on her face.

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

Elsa nodded, keeping her eyes on the floor. "I'm okay," she said quietly.

Kristoff stepped behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "But she _does _need a muscle relaxer."

Mrs. Parsons nodded, then led the way to the main part of the office. When they'd rounded the corner, Kristoff caught Anna's pale, worried glance and smiled reassuringly at her. While the nurse was fussing over Elsa, he made his way to Anna and sat down beside her.

"It must have been bad. She never calls for the nurse," she said softly.

"I was the one that asked for her. But she does need it. It was another bad one, but…" He sighed and shook his head. "It was even worse than normal this time, Anna."

Anna paled even more, then glanced at her sister. "I wish there was something we could do."

Kristoff nodded. "I've been thinking on it. I want to bring something up with her soon, something that I think we could try. But I doubt she'd take it well, so I've been putting it off." When Anna looked at him questioningly, he just shook his head. "I'll tell you later." He stood up when Elsa came their way, looking a little grumpy.

"All drugged up," she said, frowning at him again.

Kristoff pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You'll thank me here shortly," he said softly. He reached down for their things, then pulled out Elsa's keys and handed them to Anna. "You get to drive today, feisty pants. I'll follow behind."

When they finally made it home, Kristoff pulled into his own driveway and then walked across the grass to Elsa's car. The girls were just getting out of the car as he approached. He noted that Elsa looked a tad bit grumpier than she had been at school and guessed that the medicine must be kicking in.

As they walked into the house, Elsa stumbled a little and caught herself with a hand against the wall. She huffed in annoyance and stood there with her eyes closed for a moment. Kristoff reached out and placed a hand against the small of her back. "You okay?" he asked.

"Just waiting for the room to stop spinning," she muttered, clenching her jaw. A few more moments passed before she opened her eyes again. "Stupid stuff always makes me dizzy."

"And irritable," Anna mumbled as she walked past. Elsa shot her a glare and she raised her hands in surrender.

Kristoff smiled gently at Elsa and took her hands, turning her so that she was looking directly at him. Her features softened a little when she looked at him. He leaned down to place a slow kiss on her forehead. A small sigh escaped her lips and she tugged on his shirt, pulling him down for a real kiss. When they broke apart, she was smiling. "Feel better now?" Kristoff asked.

"Almost," she said, reaching for his hand and tugging him toward the living room. She let go of his hand for a moment to push the ottoman in front of her chair, then waved for him to sit. "Hold me," she said softly, climbing into his lap when he sat down.

He chuckled a little, but wrapped his arms around her. Assuming that if he got them comfortable enough she would fall asleep, he rested his feet on the ottoman and shimmied down some, stretching out so that they were almost lying down. Elsa shifted, stretching out with him and lying against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and hummed contentedly.

"Now I'm good," she mumbled.

Anna came to sit down on the couch, shaking her head with a smile on her face. "And she'll be out in five minutes, tops."

Elsa made a muffled noise of disagreement, but her eyes were closed and she was slowly relaxing into Kristoff. He chuckled a little, sending Anna a wink. Knowing that it would get her to sleep even faster, he slipped his hand under Elsa's shirt and pressed his palm against the small of her back, thumb gently stroking her skin. She sighed and sagged into him even further. Barely even two minutes later, her breathing slowed. Kristoff waited a minute to be sure, but then glanced up at Anna with a smile.

"She's out," he whispered.

Anna huffed out a quiet laugh. "Pegged it," she said quietly, rolling her eyes a little. "And she could probably sleep through a train wreck, so I doubt we'll wake her if we talk." Reaching for the remote, she turned the television on, but merely flipped to a news channel and turned the volume down low. When Kristoff sent her a questioning glance, because the news wasn't anywhere on Anna's list of favorite things to watch, she shrugged at him. "Background noise. Just in case."

They sat there quietly for a moment before Anna spoke again. "I hope you're comfortable," she said softly, sending him a small smile. "She tends to take lengthy naps." Her smile slipped slowly off her face and she glanced down at her lap. "I think it's because she has difficulties sleeping though. Her episodes wake her up sometimes, but… Well, other times, I—" She broke off, then glanced at Kristoff. "Up until several months ago, I would occasionally walk past her room at night and hear her crying," she said quietly. "This has been rough for her."

Kristoff nodded a little, resting his cheek against the top of Elsa's head. "What happened several months ago?" he asked softly.

Anna smiled, though she still looked sad. "You," she answered. She chuckled quietly at his stunned expression. "I've never seen her happier," she said softly. After a moment, she motioned toward her sleeping sister. "You don't understand how strange it is to see her like that. I didn't even know it was possible for her, really. But ever since last November, when you kinda forced physical contact on her, she's almost been a different person."

Kristoff sent her a guilty glance. "When I reached for her hand, I didn't know that I would be the first to…" He sighed a little. "I mean, I had no idea that no one had ever touched her bare skin. I don't think I would have done it if I'd known."

"I'm glad you did," Anna told him. "This has been good for her. Really. Things had been tense around here, until that happened. We were all kinda losing hope, I think," she whispered, a few tears pooling in her eyes. "Elsa more than any of us though. She was…depressed," she said softly. "You have no idea, Kristoff. It was literally almost an instant change, after that day you were with her at school." She glanced down at her lap again. "And then when Mom caught her sitting in your lap that first time…" She chuckled a little. "I talked to her afterwards. You have no idea how happy that made her. She was in tears. None of us had ever thought skin-to-skin contact would be possible for Elsa, you see," she said softly.

"Had anyone tried?" he asked, having to blink away a few tears.

Anna nodded. "Mom said that when Elsa was a baby, her body temperature was a bit erratic. She was always cool to the touch, but sometimes her skin was so cold that it hurt them to touch her. And then the episodes. When she was really little, apparently they were horrible. Elsa doesn't remember that, and they evened out by the time she was five. But the early ones were bad. Mom and Dad were told by several different doctors that it would probably be better not to touch her."

Kristoff frowned. "But they had no idea… How could they say that? No one understands a thing about her, how could they make assumptions like that?"

Shrugging, Anna reached down to roll the hem of her shirt between her fingers. "No idea. I guess everyone was a little scared. But it didn't matter, because by the time Elsa was five, she was so terrified of her episodes that she insisted everyone keep their distance. We've been living like that ever since. Until you, that is," Anna said softly.

Kristoff flicked his gaze down to watch Elsa breathe for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts. "So…she doesn't know any of that? About when she was little?"

Anna shook her head. "Mom and Dad haven't ever told her. They didn't see a reason, I guess. Didn't want to upset her any more. We've all been trying to make things as easy for her as possible. Or, well—" She broke off, sighing and glancing down again. "I've tried. It's been hard though. Mom and Dad hadn't explained anything to me until a few years ago. Before that, I guess I…I probably made things hard for her sometimes," she whispered.

She took a deep breath, then glanced back at Kristoff with a small smile. "Anyway, I just hope you know how special that is," she said, gesturing to Elsa again. "You should be honored. She trusts you, probably more than she trusts anyone. And she's more comfortable with you than she is by herself, I think."

They were quiet for a while after that. Kristoff kept his hand against Elsa's skin, his thoughts wandering a little. Everything that Anna had told him made his heart ache even more. He'd known that Elsa had had a rough life, but he hadn't quite known the extent of it. He hated that she'd had to live her life like that, hated that it had upset her so much. For the first time, he marveled at how truly amazing it was that she was so comfortable with him. His heart swelled with love and he had to blink away a rush of tears.

Eventually, Anna spoke up once more. "Kristoff… You said this episode was worse than usual. You mean worse than the bad ones normally are?"

With a sigh, he nodded and glanced sadly at Anna. "It was awful. It took nearly twice as long for it to actually hit. She screamed for ages," he whispered, a tear slipping down his cheek. He blinked and stared up at the ceiling. "I've been there for quite a few of her episodes now. That was the worst I've seen so far." He glanced back at Anna in time to see her wipe away a tear.

Anna took a shaky breath. "I really hate to see her hurt so much," she said sadly.

"Yeah," Kristoff agreed. He paused for a moment, making sure Elsa was still asleep, then continued. "I've been thinking lately… I've been paying more attention to her mood shifts, and I have a bit of a theory." Anna glanced hopefully at him. "I think her…magic— I guess that's what you'd call it— well, I think it's tied to her emotions."

Anna opened her mouth, then tilted her head to the side and closed it again, frowning.

Kristoff explained a little further. "Well, I've noticed that when she gets upset or angry, her skin gets colder. I don't think she notices, and it took me a while to notice too, because usually she doesn't like being touched when she's angry. But it definitely gets colder. And then what you just said kinda makes me think I'm right. What if her episodes have been getting worse because the more they happen, the more she fears them? Like her fear makes them worse, and when they get worse, she fears them even more."

Anna was quiet for a moment. "That makes sense, I suppose."

"It's a theory," Kristoff said. He paused for a second before voicing another thought. "Anna, she told me once that she feels the episodes coming in her chest. She said it feels like pressure. What if— what if she needs to _use_ her magic?"

Anna glanced sadly at him. "We've thought that before. She's tried. She can't seem to make it work. When Dad first suggested that, she was too terrified to try. But when he finally convinced her to, trying only frustrated her. We stopped mentioning it."

Kristoff shook his head a little, mindful of the sleeping Elsa tucked against his chest. "Anna, what if she needs to be happy to do it?" He glanced at her blank expression for a moment before continuing. "I've been thinking about this for a while. I'm sure this is the answer. It has to be. There's no way she was meant to live like this. There has to be an answer." He paused again, thinking. "I mean— it would explain the pressure she feels. She doesn't use her magic between episodes. It's like it builds up if she doesn't, like it needs to be used. Eventually, it just forces itself out of her."

Anna nodded. "Don't get me wrong, Kristoff. I think you're right. We just haven't had much success with getting her to try. Like I said, she's terrified of her magic. Of herself, really," Anna said quietly. She was silent for a moment, then sent Kristoff a sad smile. "You can mention it to her, but I'm just warning you, she probably won't take it well. But if anyone can get her to do it, it would be you."

Kristoff smiled a little, then glanced down at the top of Elsa's head. He sighed and hugged her tight for a moment. They were quiet for a long time after that. Kristoff was sure that he was right, that using her magic was the solution. He just didn't know how to approach the topic with her. He was sure she would get upset, but he desperately wanted her to see reason, to at least try. He hated seeing her hurt, and he wouldn't stop searching until he found a way to stop it.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kristoff hugged a sobbing Elsa to his chest, a lump in his throat as he rubbed soothing circles against the bare skin of her back with his thumbs. She was still trembling, her breath coming in gasps. A small blizzard raged around them, the wind whipping at Kristoff's hair and coating the strands in tiny ice crystals. He'd never seen it quite so powerful before. It was always amazing to him, what she could do. But this was absolutely stunning, and slightly terrifying.

Ever since the first time he had sat in on an episode, he'd known she was powerful. He didn't think _she_ realized how powerful she was though. She was never coherent enough during the episodes to actually remember much of what she did. She knew the gist of it, of course. But she never watched it. It terrified her. Gazing with wide eyes at the thick snow swirling around the room, Kristoff could see why it did. It _was_ a little intimidating. But he'd never been an easy scare, and he knew that she would never intentionally hurt anyone, so there was nothing to fear. More than anything, he was speechless with wonder. She was absolutely incredible. He wished that she would appreciate her magic as much as he did.

Elsa jerked a little in his arms and he tightened his grip. He knew the worst was over, and the storm was likely near its end, but this had been a rough one. She would be aching after this, especially with how powerful the storm was this time. He contemplated texting Anna and getting her to bring a muscle relaxer upstairs, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get Elsa to take it. She shuddered again in his grip and another thought came to him. He was going to say something today. It had been two weeks since he'd told Anna his theory, and he still hadn't mentioned it to Elsa. But he decided that he _had_ to try now. He desperately hated seeing her hurt.

Eventually, he felt the tension in her muscles ease away and the storm dissipated. She was breathing heavily, eyes still closed, her cheek pressed against his chest. He reached up to brush a sweaty strand of hair out of her face, his heart aching. She seemed so exhausted. He gave her a few more minutes to calm down enough that she'd be able to speak, then gently brushed her shoulder with his fingers.

"Elsa. If I get your sister to bring a muscle relaxer up here, will you take it?" he asked quietly. She didn't hesitate at all, instantly nodding her head. Kristoff's heart clenched painfully. She must really be hurting if she agreed that readily. He reached to his right, feeling for his phone, then sent Anna a quick text when he'd located it. He pressed a kiss to the top of Elsa's head, then spoke softly. "Do you want to put your shirt on?"

Elsa shook her head. "Too hot," she mumbled, breath still coming in quick gasps. Kristoff frowned with concern. A moment later, he heard the sounds of Anna coming up the stairs. It almost sounded like she was sprinting. He gently slipped out from under Elsa and stood up. She sank into the mattress in his absence, pressing her face into a pillow. Kristoff tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before going to open the door for Anna.

When he opened the door, Anna's gaze flicked down to his bare chest for a moment before settling on his eyes. She handed him the pill and a small glass of water, concern etched across her face. "Is she okay?" she asked softly.

"She's hurting," he responded sadly. He glanced down at the glass in his hand for a moment before meeting Anna's gaze once more. "I think we'll be a while. I want to talk to her today." Anna sent him a worried glance. "And she'll probably sleep for a while after she takes this. Come check on us in a little while, before your parents get home."

Anna nodded. Just before he shut the door, she reached out and placed a hand against it. "Kristoff…thank you," she said softly.

He sent her a small smile, then nudged the door closed. He made his way back to the bed, Elsa still lying face-down against the covers. Her breathing had steadied a little, but not by much. She was clenching and unclenching her fist, residual tremors still shaking her occasionally. "Elsa," he said softly. "Sit up for a second. You need to take this."

"Give me a minute," she said quietly, voice muffled from the pillow. She lay there for a bit longer before shakily pushing herself onto her back. Exhaling, she stared at the ceiling for a moment before leaning up on one elbow and reaching out for her medicine. Kristoff handed it to her, then let her have the glass of water. She downed the entire thing, then handed the empty glass back to him and sagged against the mattress.

Her exhaustion made his heart ache. In just the few short months that he'd known about her episodes, she had gotten much worse. They hit harder and faster now, incapacitating her within minutes and leaving lingering aches that stayed with her for days. She was almost never completely without pain these days. Not for the first time, he wished that he could just take it all himself, take away her pain and weather it for her. He would do it in a heartbeat if he could.

Slipping back onto the bed beside her, he laid down and pulled her to his chest, flattening his hands out against her back and trying to maximize the skin-to-skin contact. She sighed a little and relaxed into him. Kristoff held her close, chewing on his bottom lip as he tried to think of a way to bring up his idea. He didn't want to upset her, but he really wanted her to at least try it. Before he could say anything though, Elsa shifted against him, then spoke softly, her voice still a little hoarse.

"I don't think I would be able to get through these without you," she said softly. She pressed her ear against his chest, closing her eyes to the steady beat of his heart.

Kristoff made a noise of disagreement. "I think you could," he told her. "You're stronger than you think."

She was silent for a moment. When she spoke, there was a gentleness to her voice that told him more than her words ever could. "In any case, I'm glad that I don't _have_ to go through them alone. I'm glad you're here."

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "And I always will be. You never have to worry about that."

Silence enveloped them once more. Elsa's breathing had finally regulated, steady puffs of air ghosting across Kristoff's chest. He loved moments like this with her, moments where everything was quiet. The feel of her skin pressed against his calmed him down, the measured beats of her heart beneath his fingers reassured him. It was moments like this that made him realize how desperately in love with her he actually was. Knowing that she was alive and well, or as well as she could be with these episodes, was all he needed to keep him going each day.

Thoughts tumbled around in his brain for a while before he realized that Elsa would fall asleep soon if he didn't talk to her. And he never liked waking her up, because she had such difficulties getting decent sleep. His chest tightened slightly with nerves, but he steeled himself and spoke. "Elsa," he said softly. She twitched a little, as if she'd almost been asleep and his voice had startled her out of her hazy state. He gently rubbed her back in apology. "I know you need some sleep, but I want to talk to you about something first."

She stiffened against him momentarily, then reached up to trace patterns on his chest with her fingers. "All right," she said softly.

There was no way he was going to be able to concentrate with her doing that, so he gently grasped her hand in his own, halting her movements. Then he turned them both so that they were lying on their sides, facing each other. He propped his head up in his hand and stared at her for a moment. There was no turning back now.

Kristoff took a deep breath before speaking. "I have a…theory, I guess. It's slowly been piecing itself together in my brain over the last couple months, and…" He paused and took another breath. "Well, I just— I want you to hear it. I don't think you'll like it, but please, just hear me out, okay?" Elsa blinked and then nodded.

He sent her a nervous smile and grasped her hand, then sifted through his thoughts for a good starting point. After a moment of silence, he glanced down at their hands and spoke. "I've been watching you a lot, you know. Even before I knew about your episodes, I'd watched you. But I've been paying attention to different things now, and so I've noticed a few things. Things that I'm not sure you've noticed." He paused for a second, then decided to start somewhere that would make sense to her. "Elsa, when you think about your episodes, your magic, what do you feel?"

The question seemed to startle her. She stared at him in silence for a moment before opening her mouth. "I…" She trailed off, then shifted her gaze away from his.

Kristoff squeezed her hand gently. "Fear, yes?" After a moment of hesitation, she nodded. "And I'm just going to guess that the older you've gotten, the more you fear them?" Again, she nodded, keeping her gaze away from his. Kristoff stroked the back of her hand with his thumb. "That's one thing I've noticed. But there's something else… Did you know that when you get upset, or angry, or scared, your skin gets colder?"

Elsa blinked and glanced back at him. "Umm…no," she said softly.

He sent her a sad smile. "It took me a while to notice, because you tend to avoid contact even more than usual during those moments. But it definitely gets colder. Drastically so, actually." He paused for a moment, letting that sink in. "It's those observations that make me think that maybe your magic is tied to your emotions." She held his gaze, completely silent. After a moment, he continued. "Any negative emotions you feel bring out the worst of it. And you've not had any accidents at school, or anywhere else I suppose, because you keep your emotions locked up, until you're alone." He saw her swallow and glance down, and he guessed that maybe that actually made sense to her. She was still silent though. He took that as a sign to keep going.

"Slightly off-topic for a moment, but… Do you remember when you told me that when you get close to an episode, you feel it in your chest? You said it felt like pressure." She nodded, glancing at him again. "I think there's a reason it feels like that," he said softly.

He saw the comprehension in her eyes, immediately followed by a flash of fear. "Kris…" she said, her tone almost a warning.

He shook his head. "Elsa, I know you've heard this before. But hear it again, from _me._" He tangled their fingers together and held on to her hand tightly, staring at her so intently that she held his gaze. "I think you need to use your magic. I think it would stop these episodes."

The fear was blatant now. "Kris, I—"

"I know," he said, cutting her off. "You've tried. But let me ask you this…how exactly did you try? Because the first part of this conversation kinda explains my theory, and I think it's a bit different than the way you've approached this before."

Her brow furrowed with confusion. "What do you mean? Is there more than one way to do it? I mean— I concentrated. Tried to produce something. Nothing ever happened."

"And you were terrified the entire time you were trying, right?" he asked her. She stared at him for a moment before glancing down again, just barely nodding. "Elsa, I think you need to be happy to do it. Feel positive emotions. The opposite of what makes it worse." She was silent again for a moment. Kristoff squeezed her hand again. "I'm not saying that this will work for certain. It's just a theory. But I'd like you to try it," he said softly.

She glanced up at him sharply, panic in her eyes. "Wha— _now_?" she asked frantically.

Kristoff nodded. "Elsa, there has to be a way to make this work. I know you weren't meant to live like this. I know there's a way to fix this. And I really feel in my gut that this is the solution. It feels right. My instincts are telling me that this is it, this is how you stop the episodes. And I'll do anything I can to get that to happen, Elsa. Because I hate to see you hurting." He reached up to brush a tear from her cheek. "Please try. For me," he whispered.

She blinked back a few more tears, but after a moment, she nodded. Her eyes closed, a tiny bit of the tension in her muscles releasing. Kristoff watched her, watched for any sign that it was working. It took a few moments of silence, but gradually he noticed the temperature of the room start to get colder. He blinked, startled. He glanced up at the ceiling, looking for a source, but there was none. It just got colder. When he glanced back at Elsa though, her brow was furrowed again and her muscles were tensed.

"Elsa," he said softly.

She opened her eyes, then almost instantly burst into tears. "Kris, I can't do it, I just can't."

He blinked again. Did she not realize that she had made it colder in there? Could she not see the goosebumps that peppered his skin? He stared at her for a second before attempting to point out what she'd done. "Elsa, you—"

She shook her head forcefully. "Please, Kris. I can't. You don't know how many times I've tried. I've tried and tried, and nothing ever happens." Her breathing was quickening and she was steadily getting louder, sounding close to despair. "I know you want to help. Everyone does. But this isn't the way to fix it! It can't be! I can't do it, I _can't_, I—"

She was close to hysterical now. Kristoff untangled their fingers and pressed his hand to her cheek. "Elsa," he said forcefully. She glanced at him slowly, tears running down her cheeks. "It's okay," he said softly.

"I can't do it, Kris," she choked out through a sob. "I can't, I can't—"

He immediately pulled her to his chest, rolling onto his back and tugging her with him. "Hey, hey, it's okay. Shh. It's okay. You don't have to do it," he said softly. He decided not to point out that she actually _had_ done it. Not yet. She was panicking now, and he didn't think she'd believe him anyway. The temperature of the room was already back to normal. She was tired, hurting, and upset. Continuing this would only make things worse. So he held her tightly to his chest, rubbing soothing circles against her back, gently shushing her as she sobbed into him.

She cried for so long that she ran out of tears, trembling in his arms. He hated that it had upset her so much. He felt an odd mixture of sadness and elation though. He was positive now that his theory was correct, after seeing her try and actually succeed, albeit without her realizing. He'd been right. Now he just had to figure out how to get her to do it without panicking.

When he finally noticed her beginning to calm down, he flipped them over and placed her gently against the mattress. Then he reached down to the bottom of the bed and tugged the comforter over them, lying on his side beside her. He nudged her until she turned, pressing her back against his chest. Shifting her braid out of the way, he pressed a tender kiss to her neck, then another to her shoulder. "Get some rest," he told her softly, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer.

Not even a minute later, she was asleep. He was comfortable enough that he would have followed suit, but there were too many thoughts in his head. He laid there with her for a few hours, holding her close and thinking. Focusing on a single thought was difficult though; he constantly jumped from trying to figure out a way to help her to how much it hurt his heart to see her like this. By the time Anna came to knock on the door, his thoughts had wandered so much that he didn't have the slightest idea yet as to how he could get Elsa to use her magic. He sighed and propped himself up on one elbow.

"Come in, Anna," he called quietly.

Anna peeked around the door, then smiled softly when she saw them. She came in and shut the door behind her, then went to sit on the end of the bed. "How long has she been sleeping?"

"A few hours," Kristoff answered, gently slipping his hand out from under the covers and reaching up to brush his fingers against Elsa's shoulder. "But she's so exhausted, she could probably sleep from now until tomorrow morning. And even then, she might still need more rest."

Anna nodded sadly. "How did the talk go?" she asked after a moment.

Sighing, Kristoff reached up to scrub his face with his hand. "Not very well. I mean, she was okay to begin with. But when I got her to try, she got really frustrated. And that just translated into hysterics. She…" He sighed again and glanced at Anna. "I think she's at the point now where she's so desperate for an answer that anytime something doesn't work, she breaks down."

"So it didn't work, then?"

"Well, actually…" Kristoff broke off and glanced at Elsa, making sure she was still asleep before answering. "Anna, she actually almost did it. The room went frigid for a few seconds. But she didn't realize that she'd done anything. I was going to tell her, but she kinda started freaking out a little. Which promptly turned into about thirty minutes of solid sobbing." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "I didn't think she'd believe me if I told her. But now I know she can do it. I just need to find a way to make it work better. I need to find a way to get her so full of happiness that it works almost instantly. I just don't have any ideas at the moment."

He paused for a moment, staring at the back of Elsa's head. "I mean, I can think of plenty of things that make her happy. But nothing that I think will make her happy enough to actually do this."

Anna snorted with laughter. Kristoff glanced sharply in her direction, catching her rolling her eyes. "Really, Kristoff?"

He frowned at her. "What? I mean— things she's interested in won't work. There's her happy memories of you, but most of the time when she thinks about you, she gets sad. It needs to be something that—" He broke off abruptly, staring at Anna like she was crazy. "Why are you laughing at me? This isn't exactly funny."

She chuckled for a moment longer before shaking her head. "Because you're missing something quite important. Something that makes her happier than anything else in the world ever could."

"What could I be—"

"You," Anna said softly. She smiled a little at the expression on his face, chuckling quietly. "Kristoff, I told you once before that I've never seen her happier. I was telling the truth. _You _make her happier than anything ever could. I suppose you don't see it quite as much as I do. I think she tries to hide just how much she feels for you. But I've talked with her a few times. The look on her face when she talks about you…" Anna shook her head, smiling even more now. "And even better, the looks she gives you when you aren't paying attention. She looks at you like you're the light of her life, Kristoff."

He was silent for a moment, still slightly stunned. "Oh," he said eventually. "I guess that might work…"

Anna let out a bit of quiet laughter. "If it doesn't, nothing will." After another moment of silence, she glanced at her phone. "Mom should be home in about twenty minutes. So you might want to put on a shirt," she said, sending him a sly look. "And maybe get out of Elsa's bed. Mom probably wouldn't like it if she came up here and saw this, especially since Elsa seems to be missing a shirt as well," Anna said dryly, eyes flicking to the side to glance at the articles of clothing on the floor.

"Umm…yeah," Kristoff mumbled, cheeks flushing a little. "Anna, look, I— this is completely innocent, we haven't—"

Anna grinned at him. "I know. You guys are just fun to tease. Seriously though, Mom wouldn't be too happy about this, so don't stay up here much longer." She stood up, then made her way quietly to the door. She sent him one last smile as she slipped out of the room.

Kristoff sighed a little and rolled onto his back. He turned his head to the right to glance at Elsa, smiling. He could definitely get used to this. Just the thought of being in a bed with her, of lying beside her while she slept, was enough to send a thrill through him. He'd never been more comfortable than he was right now. But…Anna was right, they probably would get in trouble for this. So with another sigh, he slipped slowly out of the covers and crawled gently off the bed, careful not to wake Elsa up.

He reached for his shirt and tugged it over his head, then stood there staring at Elsa's sleeping form. She was so incredibly beautiful. She looked so peaceful in sleep, all the stress and sadness gone from her face. He watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest before letting his gaze trace the line of her shoulder. So beautiful. Leaning down, he placed a tender kiss against her cheek. Then he pulled the blanket a little higher to cover her shoulder and quietly left the room.

When he walked into the living room, Anna was sitting on the couch, her legs curled up beside her, staring absently at the television. Kristoff went to sit beside her. Both of them were quiet for a long time. He could tell that she wasn't paying much attention to the show that was on; she was probably thinking about her sister. He sighed a little and leaned back, closing his eyes.

Not long after that, they heard noises from the direction of the kitchen. A moment later, Helen walked into the living room, a bag slung over one shoulder. She eyed them for a moment before speaking. "Hello, dears. Have a good day?"

Both of them shrugged in response.

Helen frowned a little and came to sit down in the chair beside the window. "Where's Elsa?" she asked.

Kristoff glanced at Anna, then spoke when it didn't look like she would answer. "She's upstairs. Sleeping." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It was a rough one today," he said softly.

Anna glanced at her mother sadly. "She took a muscle relaxer, Mom."

"Willingly," Kristoff added. He glanced down at his lap, his heart aching. "She'll probably sleep through the night. She looked so exhausted."

Helen nodded. "She has seemed more worn out than usual lately." She was quiet for a while, staring at the television but not really watching it. Kristoff had a feeling that they were all thinking about Elsa. It was hard not to these days, with how miserable she seemed. Eventually, Helen sighed and stood up. "Kristoff, will you stay for dinner tonight?"

"I'd like that. Thank you," he said softly.

"You know you're welcome any time, dear," Helen told him, smiling.

She left the room not long after that. Anna and Kristoff stayed in the living room, neither of them talking for quite a while. Eventually, they struck up a conversation. Kristoff had a feeling that Anna was just talking to distract herself. He didn't blame her. He needed distracting too.

When they all sat down around the table for dinner that night, Elsa still sleeping soundly in her room, the mood in the house hadn't gotten much better. For the first several minutes of the meal, everyone was silent. Eventually though, Helen glanced at Kristoff and spoke.

"Kristoff…were you with Elsa today?"

He swallowed his food and nodded. "Yes ma'am." He set his fork down on his plate, staring at it for a moment. "Like always," he added softly. When he glanced back up, Helen was smiling a little.

"We don't get much time to talk to you without Elsa around," Helen said, sending a glance toward her husband, "so we haven't really told you this. But both of us want you to know how much that means to us. That you're there with her." She glanced down at the table, a few tears in her eyes. Thomas reached for her hand and held it. "As a mother, it's difficult to see my child hurting, and not be able to do anything about it. But knowing that you're there for her…it offers a bit of comfort," she said quietly, reaching up to brush away a tear.

Thomas squeezed her hand, then glanced at Kristoff. "We're not sure how you did it, Kristoff," he said, "but we're glad you did. She's not let any of us near her at all during her episodes, ever since she was little. Even now, I don't think she would let anyone but you in that room." He sent a small glance toward Helen, then brought his gaze back to Kristoff with a smile. "Kristoff…I don't want to scare you off, and I'm not trying to pressure you, but… Well, you'll always be considered a member of the family," he said softly, holding Kristoff's gaze. "But if you ever wanted to join it officially, I would be more than happy to give you my blessing."

Kristoff blinked away a few tears. It took him a minute to find his voice. "Thank you, sir. That— that means a lot to me," he said quietly. He glanced down after a minute, a little nervous. "To be honest, I— I've thought about it. Hundreds of times, actually…" He took a deep breath, then glanced up at Thomas once more. "I've already told her I'm not going anywhere. Absolutely nothing in this world could change the way I feel about her. I plan to ask her. When she's ready."

Helen and Thomas both smiled brightly at him, tears in their eyes. A sound somewhere between a hiccup and a sob came from Kristoff's right, and all three of them jumped a little, then turned to look at Anna.

She dabbed at her eyes with her napkin, then saw them all staring at her. "What?" she asked. "This is all so emotional. I can't handle all this." She took a steadying breath, then glanced at Kristoff. "Does this mean I'll actually get to call you brother one day?"

He chuckled a little. "It's a long way off, Anna. I mean, we haven't even graduated high school yet. But—" He paused, then glanced at the table. "Well, yes, hopefully. One day. If she says yes, that is."

The other three at the table all laughed. Anna wiped her eyes again, then sent him a smile. "Kristoff, don't be ridiculous. There's no way she _wouldn't_ say yes."

Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck out of mild embarrassment, grinning sheepishly. The mood at the table changed drastically after that. Their conversation seemed to have lifted everyone's spirits. They finished dinner chatting happily amongst themselves. Kristoff's heart ached every now and then at Elsa's absence, but he did his best to keep himself distracted.

He ended up staying a while past dinner, chatting with Thomas about his plans for college. Just before he decided to leave that night, he walked quietly up the stairs and nudged Elsa's door open, leaning against the frame and watching her. He had no idea how long he stood there, but eventually Helen walked up beside him, glancing in the room at her sleeping daughter.

Kristoff kept his gaze on Elsa, sighing a little. "She's so beautiful," he whispered softly, almost to himself. "I hate that she hurts so much. I wish I could take it all away. I'd carry the burden myself in a heartbeat." When he glanced at Helen, a few tears were slipping silently down her cheeks. She smiled at him, then pulled him into a tight hug.

"I couldn't ask for a better man for my daughter," she said softly. She pulled back after a moment and placed a motherly hand against his cheek. "Thank you so much for caring as much as you do."

Kristoff sent her a small smile, then reached for her hand and gripped it tightly in his own. "No need to thank me. I've always cared for her. And I always will."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Well, ladies and gents, we approach the end! After this chapter, there will only be one more. I hope you've all enjoyed this story :) it was one of my quicker ones, honestly, didn't take very long to write it. As always, thanks for all the reads, reviews, favorites, and follows! It means a lot! Enjoy this chapter, and be on the lookout for something new in the coming weeks from me!**

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Chapter 9

The dull ache in Elsa's chest throbbed, causing her to wince. Her heart sank a little. She was still physically exhausted from the last episode; it had only been two days before. There was no way she was ready for another one. But her aching chest told her she didn't have much choice. She still had a little while before it hit though. With a sigh, she leaned back against Kristoff and grabbed his hand. She turned his palm up, then laid her own hand against his, marveling at how much larger his hand was. She absentmindedly traced the lines on his palm before intertwining their fingers.

Kristoff turned his head and placed a soft kiss against her temple. "Hurting, aren't you?" he asked softly.

Elsa blinked, then glanced down and nodded. "How'd you know?"

"You tensed a little," he said, wrapping his arms around her. "But I had a feeling it would happen soon anyway. You've looked exhausted for the past couple days, but today seemed worse."

She sighed and rested her head against his. "I'm so ready for this to stop," she whispered sadly.

"I know," Kristoff responded, hugging her tighter. It had been a couple weeks since he'd told Elsa his theory, and he hadn't said anything about it since then. But Elsa could tell that he wanted to. Part of her almost considered trying again, just because she was so tired of hurting. For the most part though, she was still too terrified, too afraid of hurting someone.

A few moments later, Anna wandered into the living room, a glass of chocolate milk in her hands. She seated herself on the other end of the couch, pulling her feet up and tucking them to the side. When Elsa let out a shaky sigh, Anna glanced her way with concern. "Already, Elsie?"

"Yeah," Elsa mumbled. She shifted in Kristoff's lap, turning sideways and resting her head on his shoulder. She pressed her forehead against his neck, focusing on the skin-to-skin contact. Surprisingly, she managed to go another twenty minutes before it started getting bad. A tremor raced through her and she sucked in a sharp breath. Kristoff pressed a kiss to her forehead, then stood up with her in his arms. Elsa caught one last concerned look from Anna before Kristoff left the room with her, heading upstairs.

Elsa shuddered again as he carried her, gripping his shirt tightly in her fist. She took a steadying breath as he closed her bedroom door, clenching her jaw against another wave of pain. Kristoff set her down gently on the edge of the bed, then stood with her knees between his legs and tugged her hoodie over her head. Another shock of pain caused her to groan, leaning her head against his stomach. He gently rubbed her shoulders as he waited for the pain to pass. When she leaned back and pulled in a few deep breaths, he reached out to brush his thumb against her cheek then slipped his hand down to the hem of her tank top.

"This too," he said softly, pulling it over her head. She was still plenty coherent at this point, so she flushed deeply and focused her gaze on her lap while he tugged his own shirt over his head. He'd done this every time it got bad for the past month or so, ever since the first time, but it still made her nervous. Or maybe that wasn't the right word. Anxious might be better. Unfortunately, with her gaze focused on her lap, she finally noticed where her knees were, which only added to the anxious, twisting feeling in her gut. Elsa decided it would just be better to close her eyes. She felt Kristoff pull away from her for a second, then an arm hooked under her knees and he pulled her against his chest. He sat down on the bed with her and carefully laid back, still holding her tightly.

For a moment, Elsa had no thought in her mind but the feel of his warm chest beneath her. But then another tremor wracked her body, heat racing through her veins like fire. She groaned sharply and tensed her muscles. The pain stuck with her, getting stronger, until tears were rolling down her cheeks. She sucked in a sharp breath at a spike in pain and let out a bit of a sob. Kristoff pulled her tighter against him.

It seemed to happen much slower this time. Everything felt impossibly long and drawn out. The pain was almost more intense than anything she'd ever gone through, but she hadn't managed to lose focus yet. An agonizing tremor would race through her for a few moments and then she was back to gasping for breath, but still coherent. She wished she wasn't though. It made it worse, being able to focus. She was hyper-aware of the pain, of how hard it was to breathe, how hot she was. Even the dullest flashes of pain drew a scream out of her.

What little breath she had left, she spent sobbing. This was absolute misery. Eventually, she felt Kristoff flip them over, setting her against the mattress and trapping her limbs with his body so he could still control her spasms. Elsa had her eyes squeezed shut, tears constantly running down her cheeks. She pulled in a deep, shaky breath and opened her eyes to look at Kristoff. "Kris…_God_, it hurts," she whispered. Pain spiked through her so sharply that she jerked beneath him, arching her back. She let out another scream, ending on a desperate, heartbreaking sob.

Kristoff placed a hand against her cheek. "Elsa," he said gently. "Look at me."

She opened her eyes, having to blink away tears.

He kept his hand against her cheek, holding her gaze. "Keep looking at me, Elsa. I want you to do something for me, okay?" He asked softly, shifting his hand to brush a strand of hair out of her flushed face. He waited until she nodded, then continued. "Don't think about the pain. Just focus on me."

"Kris—" she said, trying to point out that that was near impossible.

"I _know_ you're still coherent enough for this, Elsa. Shove away all thoughts and just focus on me." He gently stroked his thumb against her cheek, smiling. "Focus on me, Elsa. Can you do that? Think about us. Me. Look at my eyes, okay?"

Elsa nodded, trying not to close her eyes as another tremor washed through her. She groaned in pain, squirming beneath him. But she held his gaze. Kristoff smiled at her.

"There you go. Keep looking at me. Think about us." He leaned forward and brushed his nose against hers, then placed a kiss on her cheek. He held her steady through another violent shudder, then pulled back a little, staring at her eyes. "You know, I've known that I liked you for years," he said softly, catching her attention. She focused on him, somehow shoving thoughts of her pain aside for a moment.

"Do you know when I first knew?" he asked quietly. "It was a several years ago. I had come over on a Saturday morning. It was a little early, I guess, and I was in the living room talking to Anna when you came down the stairs and walked in. I don't think you knew I was there. You looked like you'd just woken up," he said softly, tensing his muscles to hold her down as she jerked from a sharp spike in pain. She was still struggling for breath, and still shaking, but she was focused on him. He smiled a little. "When you walked in, I'm pretty sure all my breath left me in a rush. Your hair was out of its braid and tousled from sleep, and you were in this oversized t-shirt that was so big on you it came down to mid-thigh. _God_, it was so beautiful," he whispered.

Elsa's breath caught for a moment, then steadied. She was breathing heavily still, but no longer gasping. She shivered a little with pain, but kept watching Kristoff's eyes. They were sparkling with emotion.

He smiled at her, still holding a hand against her cheek. "And then you noticed I was there, of course. And you _squeaked_ and ran back upstairs," he said. Elsa choked out a small chuckle through her tears. Kristoff laughed a little and brushed a few tears from her cheek with his thumb. Elsa barely noticed that she wasn't shaking anymore; she was so focused on Kristoff, on what he was saying and the look in his eyes. Her breathing steadied a little more. Kristoff's smile softened as he stared at her.

"I had the thought that day that you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. And you know, it's still the truth," he said softly. "God, you take my breath away. Everything about you…I just can't get enough," he whispered, tracing his thumb across her jaw and down her neck. Elsa shivered, but not at all from pain. Kristoff smiled, then rolled to the side a little, still halfway lying against her, one of his legs tangled between the two of hers.

"Elsa," he said softly, still holding her gaze. "Do you feel that?" he asked, tapping the middle of her chest. Elsa nodded and swallowed hard. Kristoff's gaze never left hers. "Good. Now think of a snowflake for me."

She blinked for a second before she realized what he was trying to do. "Kris…"

"I know you can do this," he said softly. Using his free hand to reach for one of hers, he turned her palm upwards and rested their hands against her thigh. Then he leaned forward and pressed his cheek against hers. "I _know_ you can," he whispered. "Feel it." He pressed a tender kiss to her cheek, then breathed into her ear, "I love you."

Elsa sucked in a sharp breath. Her eyes slipped closed as she felt a tug in her chest. In the back of her mind, she'd focused her thoughts on a snowflake, but she was largely focused on what Kristoff had just said. Still, there was no way she could miss what had just happened. The way it had felt… She kept her eyes closed though, heart pounding furiously, desperately hoping that this wasn't a dream.

Kristoff chuckled a little. "Why don't you open your eyes?" he asked softly.

"I'm afraid this isn't real," she whispered, a tear slipping out of the corner of her eye. "I mean, it _has_ to be a dream, because you just said—"

"I love you," he breathed, pressing another kiss to her cheek. "It's real."

Elsa opened her eyes, finding Kristoff's gaze instantly. He was smiling proudly at her, a few tears in his eyes. She took a deep breath, then glanced down. Letting out something halfway between a laugh and a sob, she stared at the snowflake revolving slowly above her palm in complete disbelief. Kristoff sat up beside her, then tugged her up as well, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I told you you could do it," he said softly.

Tears streamed down Elsa's cheeks as she sat there staring at her snowflake. She raised her hand a little, still marveling at the way it felt to _use_ her magic. It was incredible. She'd never thought this was even possible. She'd never even _dreamed_ that she would be able to control her magic. Somehow, Kristoff had found a way to make it work.

Kristoff placed a soft kiss against her temple. "Go on, do some more," he said gently. "Let that pressure out."

Elsa smiled a little, dispersing the snowflake with hardly a thought. She was so full of emotion that she barely had to think at all about what she wanted. It just happened. A puff of snowflakes burst from her hand, dusting both of them with soft, powdery snow. She laughed softly, then tilted her head a little, letting out another stream of snowflakes but controlling it this time. It flowed lazily through the air, trailing around the room before touching the doorknob and spreading across the door in swirling patterns. Elsa pulled it back, watching with wonder as the tiny crystals disappeared, leaving her room completely snow-free.

"Kris, it— _God_, it feels— it's like a part of _me_," she whispered.

"I know," he said softly, rubbing his thumb against her skin where it rested at her side.

"No, I mean… It's like an extension of me. I can feel it, feel what it feels," she said, still in a state of shock. She reached out slowly, touching a finger to her nightstand. Ice spread rapidly out from her finger, coating the entire surface in less than a second. Another laugh escaped her lips, this one lighter and filled with wonder. She drew her finger back from the nightstand, pulling her ice back at the same time. There was no trace of it left, not a single ice crystal.

"Incredible," she whispered.

"Yes, you are," Kristoff murmured.

She glanced at him, her heart full to bursting with emotion. She sent him a smile, then flicked her gaze down to his bare chest, biting her lip. When she glanced back up, she caught a flash of something in his eyes. A moment later, he was leaning forward, pressing his lips lightly against hers. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. For a brief moment, they were both still, lips barely touching. Then Elsa pulled back a fraction of an inch and sucked in a nervous breath, and the dam broke. Kristoff pressed his lips firmly to hers, gently nudging her backward until they were lying down again, his body pressing hers into the mattress. He propped himself up on one forearm, bringing his other hand up to her neck, then trailing his fingers down to her shoulder. Elsa shivered a little under his touch.

His fingers left her skin for a moment and his tongue slipped out to part her lips. She responded eagerly, reaching up to thread her fingers into his hair. Her heart thundered in her chest at the feel of his skin pressed against hers. Any place their skin touched she felt a pleasant warmth. Her stomach fluttered furiously and her muscles tensed when he trailed his thumb across the skin right above the waistband of her jeans. She pulled back a moment later to breathe in some much needed air. Kristoff used the time to trail wet kisses down her neck, a few fingers hooked under her jeans.

He kissed his way slowly across her collarbone, Elsa's breathing becoming more ragged with each touch of his lips. He slipped his tongue out when he reached the hollow of her neck and she sucked in a sharp breath. He trailed a few kisses down to her chest, hitting a sensitive spot that made her shiver underneath him. He chuckled quietly, then pulled back and stared at her, his eyes sparkling. Then he grinned mischievously and shimmied down a little, both thumbs stroking her sides. Elsa blinked at him, then closed her eyes and tilted her head back when he leaned down to kiss just above her navel. Goosebumps broke out on her skin and her muscles tensed. She sucked in another sharp breath when he kissed lower.

A tentative knock on the bedroom door made both of them jump a little. Kristoff picked his head up, glancing at Elsa blankly for a second.

"Elsa? Kristoff? Is everything okay in there?"

Kristoff's gaze flicked down to her stomach, then back up to meet her eyes once more. A grin broke out on his face. Elsa bit her lip, the tips of her ears reddening a little.

"Yeah, Anna," Kristoff called, voice surprisingly steady. "We're fine." His eyes stayed locked on Elsa's, his thumbs still gently stroking her skin.

"Well, I— I heard the build up, but then nothing happened. At least not that I heard. I was getting worried. Is Elsa okay?"

Elsa licked her lips and cleared her throat a little. "I'm fine, Anna."

"You— guys, what's going on? Elsa, why haven't you…you know…"

Kristoff eyes were sparkling amusedly. He leaned down to press another slow kiss to her skin, this time holding her gaze. Elsa sucked in a sharp breath again, desperately hoping that Anna hadn't heard that. Kristoff pulled back and bit his tongue, grinning and on the verge of laughter. Elsa wasn't quite as amused. "Umm, that will take a bit to explain…" she said, voice a bit strained.

"Well, can I come in then?" Anna asked.

Elsa's heart lurched in her chest, gaze darting to the door. She jumped a little when Kristoff pressed another kiss low on her stomach. "Uh, no, that— umm, now is not exactly the best time," she breathed out nervously. She kept staring at the door, frantically praying that it wouldn't open. Kristoff slid one hand down her side, trailing his fingers across her skin before reaching down to thumb the button on her jeans. He tugged on it a little, making Elsa's heart jump. She swallowed hard, reaching for a pillow and clenching it in her fist.

"Well, why not?" Anna asked indignantly.

Elsa bit her lip, unable to stop herself from grinning just a little. "Anna, just—" She sucked in a sharp breath as she felt Kristoff trail his tongue across her skin, right above the waistband of her jeans. She jerked the pillow to her face and tried to muffle the half-moan, half-whimper that escaped her lips. She exhaled shakily and stared at the ceiling, ears burning. "We'll be down there in a minute, okay?" She was almost positive Anna would hear the strain in her voice.

"But—"

"Anna!" Elsa said, getting slightly frustrated now.

"Fine," her sister said grumpily.

Elsa sighed with relief when she heard Anna stomping down the stairs. She sagged back into the bed, muscles trembling from nerves and slight panic. And maybe from anticipation. Her heart was beating so loudly that she felt sure that Kristoff could hear it. Her pulse roared in her ears. Sucking in another deep breath, she chanced a glance at him. He was grinning mischievously at her. She frowned and smacked him with her pillow.

"What did you do that for?" she asked, still sounding a bit breathless and worked up.

He chuckled a little, then pushed himself up to lay beside her again, one hand still resting against her stomach. "Well, to begin with, it was just because Anna was out there, and I kinda wanted to tease you. But…" He blinked at her, his expression becoming serious. "Honestly, it was hot, seeing you so…turned on."

Elsa blinked a little and then bit her lip, cheeks flushing. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat, so she closed it again and flushed even brighter. Her breath caught as Kristoff leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers. Her eyes fluttered shut and she pulled him closer, momentarily forgetting about Anna's interruption and her embarrassment. The kiss was slow and heated, more tender than the ones before. He pulled back after a long moment, brushing a thumb across her cheek. He sent her a smile, then rested his head next to hers, his cheek pressing against her own.

They lay there for a moment, still calming down. After a minute, Elsa remembered something Kristoff had said to her earlier. She reached out to run a hand down his side. "Kris?" she murmured. He hummed in response. "I love you too," she said softly.

Kristoff smiled against her skin, then placed a soft kiss against the side of her neck. She shivered a little, so he continued, kissing lazily down to her shoulder. He gently nipped at her skin with his teeth, sending another thrill through her. Taking an unsteady breath, Elsa reached out to place a hand on his chest, gently nudging him away. "As much as I'm loving this," she said softly, thumb stroking his chest, "I think we should probably stop. Otherwise we might end up getting in trouble," she finished, blushing a little and looking up to catch his gaze.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Only if they catch us," he said, sending her a roguish wink. Not knowing how to respond to that, Elsa blinked at him, ears rapidly reddening. Kristoff burst into laughter, leaning forward to kiss the tip of her nose. "I'm just kidding, Elsa, don't look so panicked." He shifted the hand against her stomach to her waist, his thumb lightly caressing her skin. "Not that I don't want to," he murmured. "But you're right, we should probably wait." He paused for half a second, then tilted his head to the side. "Not to mention, I'd rather not have Anna walk in on that." Elsa let out a bit of nervous laughter.

Kristoff smiled at her, then pressed one last kiss to her lips. "Speaking of," he said when he'd pulled back, "we should probably get downstairs before she completely panics and barges in here. Plus, you need to show her what you can do now," he added, sitting up and pulling her with him.

Elsa grinned, then stood up and stretched. Kristoff's eyes followed her movements, gaze latching onto her stomach as her muscles moved. When he looked back up into her eyes, Elsa glanced down at her mostly bare chest and flushed. She'd paid plenty of attention to it while he was kissing her, but it really only just clicked that she'd practically been half naked this entire time.

Kristoff stood up and moved close to her, wrapping an arm around her and resting his hand against the small of her back. He reached up to tilt her head up, his gaze calm and steady. "You're beautiful, Elsa," he murmured. "No need to be embarrassed." He sent her a smile, then pulled back a little and glanced down at her tank top. "Why don't you put on a t-shirt, then go give your sister a hug?"

Sudden tears pricked Elsa's eyes and she glanced down, nodding. It was almost overwhelming, the thought that she could do that freely now. She didn't have to hold anything back, with anyone, because she could finally control her magic. She didn't have to avoid contact with Anna for fear of letting her sister get used to it. Anna _could_ get used to it now. She didn't have to be afraid of letting anyone see her emotions, because she was happier than she'd ever been in her life, happier than she thought _anyone_ had ever been. There was no way to describe what she was feeling at the moment. With one last smile at Kristoff, she tugged a t-shirt over her head and made her way downstairs.

When they made it to the living room, Elsa let out a huff of laughter. Anna was sitting on the couch, arms crossed across her chest and looking grumpily in their direction. She scowled even more when Elsa smiled at her. "Oh, I see," she grumbled. "It's funny to leave Anna out of everything. Just fine. Don't tell me anything, it's okay."

"Anna," Elsa said softly, walking toward her sister.

Anna ignored her, continuing her rant. "No, look, you've been doing this a lot. I've tried not to say anything, but it's really starting to get to me, Elsa. I mean, you hardly tell me anything anymore and—"

"Anna."

"— it's getting really annoying," Anna continued. "I mean, seriously, can't I know what's going on? I care about you too, Elsa. I'm your _sister_, for crying out—" She broke off abruptly, her entire body freezing. She blinked a few times, then flicked her eyes down to look at Elsa's hand, which was resting against the bare skin of her arm. Tears filled her eyes quite suddenly as she glanced into her sister's eyes. "Elsa?" she whispered.

Elsa smiled softly at her. "Kris, he—" She paused, glancing up at Kristoff and smiling a little brighter, then looked back at her sister. "He figured out how to fix it."

Her sentence was barely out of her mouth before Anna lunged forward, throwing her arms around Elsa and hugging her tightly. Elsa clenched her jaw and tried to hold back a wave of tears, wrapping her arms around Anna's waist and resting her chin on her shoulder. A moment later, Anna was sobbing against her, and Elsa couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She gripped Anna tighter and let out a choked sob, closing her eyes as her tears fell.

Elsa had no idea how long they sat there holding each other. At one point, she felt Kristoff sit down beside her, but she didn't pay him any attention. She never wanted to let Anna go. They both sobbed for ages, letting out years of built up tension and emotions. Eventually, Anna pulled back a little and wiped her face dry, sucking in a deep breath to calm herself down. Elsa did the same, using the sleeve of her t-shirt to dry her eyes.

Anna glanced at her, then reached for her hand and gripped it tightly. "I can't believe this," she said softly.

"Me either," Elsa agreed. She stared at Anna's eyes for a moment, then tentatively reached up and placed a hand against Anna's cheek, thumbing away a tear as it fell. She smiled sadly, then leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Anna's forehead. When she pulled back, Anna's eyes were closed, a few more tears slipping down her cheeks. Elsa exhaled shakily. "God, I've wanted to do all this for so long," she whispered.

Anna opened her eyes and nodded, smiling a little. "Me too," she murmured. After another deep breath, she asked, "How?"

Elsa pulled back a little, then for the first time in quite a while, turned to glance at Kristoff. He smiled reassuringly at her, nodding to encourage her to show Anna what she could do. Elsa bit her lip, then turned back to her sister. "Well, Kris showed me how to…" She trailed off, then pulled away from her sister completely and cupped her hands together in her lap. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She let the emotions of that afternoon wash over her, focusing on a snowflake as she felt the tug in her chest. She nearly shivered. That feeling…she would never get over that feeling. It was absolutely incredible. She heard Anna gasp, so she opened her eyes. Her gaze focused first on the snowflake in her hands, revolving slowly above her palms. After a second, she warily shifted her gaze to her sister. Anna had her hands covering her mouth, her eyes shining.

"Elsa…" she said after a moment, her voice soft and filled with wonder. "It's beautiful. How— how did you…"

"Love," Elsa said softly, glancing back down at her snowflake. "I have to feel love." She let the snowflake disperse, then met her sister's gaze once more.

Anna choked out a sob, then reached for Elsa's hands, gripping them tightly. She was quiet for a while, staring at their clasped hands. Eventually, she let out a bit of a chuckle, then her thumbs stroked the back of Elsa's fingers. "Elsie, how are you not freezing? Your skin feels like ice."

Elsa laughed, the knot of emotions in her chest melting away. "It's always like that. I never get cold. Don't really get hot either, because my skin stays so cool. It's why I've always worn sweatshirts. Well, part of the reason anyway. But I could go outside during the winter, with feet of snow on the ground, in nothing but a tank top and I'd be okay. Comfortable even."

Anna shook her head, an eyebrow raising with amazement. "That's a little weird."

Elsa laughed again, pulling one of her hands out of her sister's. "And this isn't?" she asked, forming a ball of snow over her palm.

Anna grinned, chuckling. "Touché," she replied. She watched Elsa disperse the snow again, shaking her head a little. "This is amazing."

"_This_ is amazing," Elsa said, squeezing Anna's hands tightly. "I've spent my entire life watching you, wishing that I was normal, that I could give you a hug whenever you needed one, that you could reach for my hand and drag me wherever you wanted." She glanced down, tears pricking her eyes again. "I would have given anything for this," she said softly.

"Elsie," Anna whispered.

Elsa closed her eyes and let a few tears fall. She felt Anna let go of one of her hands, then sucked in a quiet breath when Anna brushed her tears away with her thumb. A moment later, Elsa's eyes snapped open and she jumped as she heard someone call out from the entrance to the living room.

"Girls?"

Elsa swallowed thickly and glanced up to see their parents standing in the doorway, a look of complete shock on both of their faces. They all stared at each other for a moment, the room completely silent. Helen raised a hand to her mouth, tears forming rapidly in her eyes. Elsa felt Anna release her hands and nudge her in the back. Slowly, she stood and walked toward her mother. As she got close, Elsa reached out for Helen's hand. Tentatively, her mother grasped both of Elsa's hands in her own, tears now rolling down her cheeks. They stood there for a moment, then with a strangled sob, Helen pulled Elsa into her arms. A moment later, Thomas came up beside them and wrapped his arms around them both.

Elsa gripped her parents tightly, tucking her head against her mother's shoulder. She'd figured that she must be nearly out of tears by now, but somehow more slipped down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and tried to hold it together. It was useless though; a few seconds later she was sobbing. Massive, aching, desperate sobs. She cried even harder than she had with her sister. Her father gently stroked her hair, murmuring soothingly in her ear.

After a while, Elsa felt her sister's arms wrap around her from behind. They stood there for quite a while, embracing as a family for the first time. Everyone was crying, but no one quite as hard as Elsa. A few minutes after Anna joined the pile, Elsa heard her father murmur for Kristoff to come. When she felt him join the group hug, she cried even harder. It took her ages to calm down. She eventually ran out of tears, reduced to shivering in her parents' arms.

Quite a while later, after Elsa had almost completely calmed down, the group broke apart. Elsa watched as everyone wiped tears from their faces, her bottom lip trembling again before she clamped it between her teeth. A solitary tear slipped down her cheek and Helen reached up to wipe it away, smiling softly.

"What brought this change about?" Helen asked quietly.

Elsa took a deep breath, backing up a little and rubbing her eyes again. "Kris, really," she said softly. Pulling in one more deep breath, she held a hand out in front of herself and once again thought of a snowflake. Both of her parents gasped. Elsa opened her eyes and smiled. She let the large snowflake change into a stream of tiny ones, subconsciously winding it in between everyone as she spoke once more.

"Every time that I'd tried to do this before, I was always scared. But Kris thought that maybe I needed to be the opposite of that to make it work. Maybe I needed to be happy. He tried a few weeks ago to get me to do it, but I freaked out a little. Today though…" She trailed off for a second, smiling as everyone's eyes followed the stream of snowflakes. She pulled it all back in, forming it into a ball of snow above her palm. "Well, he got me happy enough to do it. And really, I don't think it's just happiness. It's love. I have to feel love to do it."

She blinked a few times, then dropped the snowball to her hand, turning it into ice and watching as she trailed it up her arm and across her shoulders. "Now, it's easy," she said quietly, closing her eyes. She let the ice creep up the back of her neck, nearly sighing at the feel of it. "I just have to think of all of you, and…" She opened her eyes once more, letting the ice melt into her skin, leaving not a trace of it anywhere. "Well, I can do whatever I want," she finished.

Helen stepped forward and pulled her into another hug. She held on to Elsa tightly for a moment, then pulled back and held her at arm's length. "I am so proud of you," she whispered, reaching up to rest her hand against Elsa's cheek.

Elsa smiled shakily at her mother. "Well, I don't think I would have ever been able to do it without Kris," she said softly.

Helen pulled back completely, then moved to Kristoff and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Elsa watched Kristoff blink furiously as his eyes watered. He gripped her mother tightly. Helen stood on her toes, her chin resting on his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered. When she pulled back, she wiped a few more tears from her eyes and smiled, then glanced at her husband. "Tom, why don't you order us some pizza for dinner? I think we all have quite a lot to talk about."

They all piled up together in the living room, Kristoff in her chair, everyone else snuggled up together on the couch. They talked for hours, Helen and Thomas explaining some things about Elsa's early years that she'd never known, and Elsa telling them everything she could think of to do with her magic. She told them how hard it was for her growing up, described the emotions she felt and the loneliness, even told them what went on during her episodes and how painful they were. She told them in detail about the last several months with Kristoff, how he had changed everything for her. She described their conversation a few weeks earlier, and the one they'd had this afternoon, though she left out the details of their…heated kisses.

There were quite a few more tears shed by everyone as the night wore on. Elsa asked her parents every question she'd ever had, and let them ask just as many. She answered anything they wanted to ask. It was a freeing experience. By the time Kristoff had to leave, and her parents finally decided to retire for the night, Elsa felt like a massive weight had been lifted off her chest. She had never felt so light and happy in her life.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Well, this is the end! Hope you all have enjoyed the ride, and that it has been intense and emotional for at least a few of you, because that's kinda what I was going for ;) A couple notes before we get on to the story... To those of you looking forward to the Noah/Elsa AU story: yes, it will come. I'm hoping to get that one done next, but it may take a little time. I'm a bit of an ADHD kind of writer, and I've recently had an influx of, in my opinion, brilliant ideas for stories, so I've been a bit distracted. Also, for those of you interested in the kinds of stories to come, they are definitely all not Frozen :) I have a nice Percy Jackson story very well developed right now, along with a few interesting ideas for some Harry Potter fics, in addition to thoughts of a crossover...but I won't tell you what of ;) so if any of that interests you, keep your eyes out!**

**Thanks a bunch to everyone that has read, reviewed, favorited, and followed! Your support means a lot :) A special shoutout to Yosni, who has left me several lovely reviews. Thanks a bunch for giving me the honor of being your first review :) cheers and glad you've liked the story!**

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Chapter 10

Elsa sat on her bed, legs crossed and a hand casually intertwined with her sister's. It was incredibly late, well past midnight, but neither of them were tired. They had been talking nonstop since they'd gone up to Elsa's room. Elsa had happily agreed to let Anna sleep in her room that night, and the two of them disappeared shortly after Kristoff went home to go spend some quality time together. They hadn't been able to talk this freely since… Well, Elsa didn't think they'd ever talked this freely. It made her heart soar, to be able to finally share everything with her sister. And they had barely let go of each other since they'd gone upstairs.

Elsa was thankful that most of the tears had been shed earlier, downstairs with the rest of the family. Almost all of the really sensitive topics had been covered, so now they were really just catching up, getting to know each other better. Elsa had shut herself in her room for so long that they had quite a lot to talk about. They had always been able to tease each other and talk about things that bothered them; even with Elsa's isolation, they were comfortable doing that. But they had never really been able to talk like this, or at least, Elsa had never allowed them to. They had rarely covered anything that was…casual. Almost all of their discussions centered around Elsa's episodes. So even though she felt like she could tell her sister anything, Elsa discovered that she hardly knew anything about Anna's interests. She had resolved to change that as quickly as possible, which led to their current conversation.

Anna was deep in the middle of a monologue about how much she hated her biology class when she suddenly trailed off, a peculiar look crossing her face. "Elsa…" she said slowly, tilting her head to the side.

Elsa chuckled at her sister, marveling at how Anna could stop mid-sentence and come out with a statement that was completely off-topic. She prepared herself for something entirely off-the-wall, a grin slowly forming on her lips. "Yes?"

"What were you and Kristoff doing in here when I came upstairs to check on you?"

Elsa's grin rapidly disappeared. Her heart thumped nervously in her chest, and her ears and neck heated up with a flush. "Uh— what?"

Anna's head was still tilted to the side and she looked comically focused, as if she was trying to figure out how to fit two puzzle pieces together. "Well, I was thinking about my biology class, and then my brain kinda jumped to the fact that I signed up to take anatomy next year, and then…"

Elsa cleared her throat, tugging her hand out of Anna's grasp to cross her arms. "Umm…"

"Oh God," Anna groaned, staring at Elsa with a mixture of horror and amusement on her face. "You two weren't— you didn't— did you?" she spluttered out.

"Uh— umm, no, we— no," Elsa stammered. She knew the way that came out sounded suspicious, and she dropped her head to her hands with a groan. Her flush was rapidly spreading to her cheeks. She should have known that her sister would guess at what they'd been doing. Anna was much too sharp when it came to almost anything Elsa wanted to hide from her.

"Oh, you have got to be—" Anna broke off, suddenly bursting into laughter. "So how was it?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.

"Anna!" Elsa said incredulously, reaching out to pop her sister on the shoulder. "Seriously, we— we didn't. And even if we had, I would _not_ be telling you that," she muttered, reaching up to rub one of her uncomfortably hot ears. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she rested her chin on them and stared at the opposite wall.

Anna laughed a little. "You look like you wish it had happened."

Elsa blinked a few times, then tipped her head down and placed her forehead on her knees instead, trying to hide from Anna's gaze. "I mean…part of me…" She sighed, closing her eyes. "Yeah, I guess. Kinda. I don't know," she groaned. She tightened her grip on her knees, then tilted her head to the side to glance at her sister. "If you hadn't interrupted us, we might have actually…" She trailed off, having a hard time believing that she was having this discussion with her sister.

Anna seemed to get the wrong impression from that. "Oh God, did I—"

Elsa sat back up and shook her head, cheeks still flushed. "No, no, you didn't. We weren't… I mean, his hands were at my sides, and he was just—" She broke off, once again wondering why she was telling Anna this.

Anna glanced warily at her. "How many articles of clothing were on the floor?"

Elsa flushed even brighter. "Just our shirts," she mumbled, staring resolutely at her lap. "And that's nothing new, really. We've been doing that for at least a month now, every time it got bad. I usually don't remember it, but…well, this time he calmed me down before the episode even happened, and things got a little…heated," Elsa finished.

"I knew, you know," Anna said softly. "About you two shedding your shirts. That day that Kristoff told you his theory? A few hours after you fell asleep, I came up to check on you guys. Kristoff called me into the room, and when I walked in, you were on your side, pressed back against his chest. Both of your shirts on the floor. It was sweet, and he assured me that nothing had been happening." Anna's mischievous grin was back. "Although, now I don't know if I should have believed him."

"Wha— I— really, Anna, we hadn't… Nothing had even gotten close, not really. Not until today," Elsa mumbled, her cheeks still flushed.

"Hmm," Anna said disbelievingly. She tilted her head a little, grinning wickedly. "So…when I came up here, what _were_ you two doing?"

Elsa bit her lip. "Umm, he— he was just…kissing me," she said quietly.

Anna grinned even more, apparently understanding that there was something Elsa was hiding. "Right. So where exactly was he kissing you?" she asked.

Elsa grabbed her pillow and smacked her sister with it. "I am _not_ telling you that," she insisted, hugging the pillow to her chest and desperately wishing she didn't feel so overheated.

"Oh, come on!" Anna pleaded.

"No."

"Elsa—"

"No, Anna." Elsa stretched out on the bed, rolling away from her sister so that she was facing the door. She was trying really hard not to grin, and also trying really hard not to look at the adorable pout that she knew Anna had on her face.

"_Please_," Anna asked, shaking Elsa's shoulder.

Elsa rolled onto her back, staring up at her sister. "Why do you even want to know?"

"Because this is fun!" she said excitedly. "We're sisters, we're supposed to share stuff like this, right?"

"Well," Elsa said, trying to think of a way out of this. "Maybe, but—" She held up a hand to stop Anna from interrupting her. "But there is most definitely a line that I will not cross."

"Sure, but we haven't crossed it yet, have we?" Anna asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister.

Elsa blinked. "Well, I—" She paused, catching Anna's pleading gaze, then groaned and covered her face with her pillow.

"Ha!" Anna shouted triumphantly. She scooted close to her sister and began nudging her shoulder. "_So_…" she said slowly, dragging out the word. Elsa mumbled incoherently into her pillow. "What was that, Elsa? Didn't hear you," Anna said sarcastically.

With a huff of exasperation, Elsa shifted the pillow, placing it against her chest. She glanced in Anna's direction, but she didn't really know if she'd be able to talk about this and look Anna in the eyes at the same time. So she covered her eyes with the crook of her elbow and took a deep breath. "Right above the waistband of my jeans," she mumbled.

"Oooh, steamy," Anna said playfully.

"Shut up," Elsa muttered. She would never actually admit it to her sister, because then she figured that Anna would ask endless amounts of questions, but she was actually sort of enjoying this. She decided to elaborate just a little bit. "It got worse the longer you stood there. To begin with it was just his lips, but then he used his tongue, and—" Goosebumps swept across her skin at the memory of it.

Anna laughed a little. "I didn't think I'd get you to share that much detail," she said, sounding impressed. "Sounds like he's quite talented."

Elsa swallowed thickly. "Umm, yes, quite."

Anna was quiet for a moment before speaking once more. "Sorry I interrupted," she said softly.

"No, it's fine," Elsa said, chancing a glance at her sister. Anna was sending her an apologetic smile. Elsa fully uncovered her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "It's probably a good thing, anyway," she said quietly, trying not to flush any more than she already was. "I mean— because I wouldn't have stopped him, and he had this look in his eyes…" She took a deep breath. "So, yeah…probably good that you did."

Anna nodded slowly. "Yeah, because if Mom and Dad had found out…"

"I'd be in big trouble," Elsa finished, nodding as well.

"And then Kristoff wouldn't be able to come over anymore, which would mean plenty of lost opportunities to make out in your bedroom while our parents are at work and your dear sister pretends she doesn't have a clue what's going on," Anna said, winking.

Elsa reached up to rub one of her ears. "Umm, yeah," she mumbled.

"Gah, I love teasing you. You're so adorable when you're embarrassed," Anna laughed.

Elsa covered her face with her pillow again, groaning. "Stop laughing at me." Rather than following her sister's request, Anna merely laughed harder. Elsa scowled beneath her pillow, then peeked out a little and concentrated, dumping a huge pile of snow on top of Anna's head.

"Elsa!" Anna shouted, gasping.

Elsa burst into laughter, sitting up once again and laughing even more once she saw the look on Anna's face. She left the snow there for a moment longer, then dispersed it with a thought, still chuckling. "That's what you get for laughing at me," she said smugly, crossing her arms.

Anna rolled her eyes, sitting there for just a moment before quickly snatching up a pillow and smacking Elsa across the head with it. There ensued a furious pillow fight after that, lasting for quite a while, both of them nearly shrieking with laughter. The covers on Elsa's bed got completely twisted, tangling them up as they beat each other with their pillows. Elsa's sides hurt from laughing so much. They only stopped when they heard the bedroom door open.

Elsa froze with her pillow in midair, glancing at the door to see her mother standing there, attempting to frown at them. There was a smile tugging at her lips though. Helen crossed her arms and stared at them. Elsa bit her lip and let her pillow drop to the mattress.

Helen shook her head. "I'm glad the two of you are finally getting to enjoy yourselves, but really, it is _extremely_ late. Your father and I both have work in a few hours, and the two of _you_ have school," she said sternly. "Settle down. I wouldn't be surprised if you just woke the entire neighborhood."

Elsa reached up to rub the back of her neck, then glanced quickly at her sister. Anna looked just as sheepish as she felt. Elsa turned her gaze back toward her mother and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Mom," she mumbled quietly, gaze turning toward the floor.

Helen chuckled, then shook her head again and walked into the room. She tugged the pillows out of their hands, then put them back at the head of the bed. Motioning for them both to lie down, she reached for the covers, which had ended up near the bottom of the bed, and tugged them up. She crossed her arms, Elsa and Anna both lying on their backs and watching her, looking sufficiently admonished. Helen smiled a little.

Reaching over Elsa, Helen brushed a strand of hair out of Anna's face, then pulled back and placed a hand against Elsa's cheek. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Go to sleep, girls," she said softly. She pulled back and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. "If nothing else, _be quiet_," she said firmly.

"Yes ma'am," they mumbled.

The two of them were completely silent as their mother left the room, listening as she shut the door and descended the stairs. Nearly a minute went by before Anna broke out into a fit of giggles, Elsa joining in shortly after. They laughed quietly in the dark for a little bit, Elsa eventually reaching up to wipe away a few tears of joy. "Ah, that was fun," she said, still chuckling a little.

"It was," Anna agreed, biting her lip to keep from laughing even more. "Wish we could have done stuff like that when we were younger."

The balloon of happiness in Elsa's chest deflated a little bit. "Me too," she said quietly. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Anna insisted, rolling onto her side and staring at her sister. Elsa could just barely make out her eyes from the moonlight filtering in through the curtains. Anna reached out and placed her hand against Elsa's arm. "We have plenty of time to make up for it now," she said gently.

"Yeah," Elsa whispered, voice suddenly thick with unshed tears. She stared up at the ceiling, blinking the tears away. She'd cried enough today already. A moment of silence passed before she spoke again. "I love you, Anna," she murmured.

"Love you too, Elsa," Anna said softly.

* * *

Elsa trudged slowly into the library, stifling a yawn behind her hand. She glanced around for Kristoff, then found him sitting on the couch they normally occupied during study hall, off in a secluded section of the library. Yawning again, she made her way toward him and slumped down beside him. She groaned and closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the couch.

Kristoff chuckled. "How late did you and Anna stay up last night?" he asked quietly, shuffling through some papers in his lap.

"Umm," Elsa said, reaching up to rub her eyes. "Four thirty. Ish."

Kristoff shook his head, smiling a little. "Looks like you aren't used to getting so little sleep."

Shaking her head, Elsa stared at her backpack that was on the floor by her feet. "No. But it was worth it. We talked for hours. We've never been able to do that." She sighed, a small smile on her lips. "And we ended up having a pillow fight at about three this morning. Mom came up to fuss at us. I guess we woke her up." She sent Kristoff a sheepish grin. Her smile softened as she glanced at him. "It was great. I wish…" Her smile slowly turned to a frown as she turned her gaze toward her lap. "There are lots of things I wish for, I guess. Things that I wish could have been different."

Kristoff reached for her hand, weaving their fingers together. "I know. But…the past is the past. And you have the rest of your life to make up for it all. Plus, it all turned out well in the end. You still have a good relationship with Anna, and your parents."

Elsa nodded, still staring sadly at her lap. "I know. But I hate that things had to be this way to begin with. I hate—"

Putting a finger to Elsa's lips, Kristoff gently shushed her. "Elsa. You can't change anything. It's done. So don't worry about it, okay? Just focus on the future." He turned her head so that she was looking at him. Smiling, he brushed away the tear that slipped down her cheek. A moment later, he moved his finger and brought his lips down to hers, kissing her softly. When he pulled back, he smiled tenderly at her.

"Thank you," Elsa whispered, staring into his warm brown eyes.

Kristoff sent her another smile, then brushed his thumb across her jaw. "Do you have any homework that you need to do?" When she shook her head, he draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her against his side. "Well, why don't you take a nap then? I'll wake you up if someone starts coming over here." She made a weak sound of protest, but snuggled up against his side anyway. He was so warm and comforting. Her eyes drooped shut almost instantly.

Later that day, while Elsa was tiredly taking notes during their history class, a sudden thought came to her. She was ashamed that she hadn't thought it before now. As soon as school let out, she gathered her things together and told Kristoff to wait for her. Then she approached her teacher, waiting until everyone but Kristoff had left before she spoke.

"Mrs. Howell," Elsa started uncertainly. She bit her lip and looked down at the books in her hand. "First off, I just want to say thank you. You, and all of my other teachers really, have been so understanding. I'm sure you've had to deal with quite a bit of trouble because of me, and I'm sorry."

"Elsa," Mrs. Howell said softly. "There's no need to be sorry, dear. It's quite all right. We all care for you. It's the least we could do, to make things easier for you."

Elsa smiled a little and glanced back up. The concern in her teacher's eyes was genuine. It warmed her heart to think that she had so many people that cared for her. "Thank you," she said again. "And…well, I suppose you don't have much to worry about anymore. I won't be needing to miss class. Yesterday…" She paused, then glanced over her shoulder at Kristoff. He nodded encouragingly. Elsa sighed and turned back to her teacher. "Well, Kris…he figured out how to fix it. So…I'm okay now."

"Really?" Mrs. Howell asked excitedly. When Elsa nodded, she pulled her into a tight hug. "Oh, that's wonderful! No more episodes?" she asked as she pulled back.

Elsa shook her head. "No ma'am. No more. I just…" She glanced down at the floor again. "You've been so wonderful all year, I just…wanted you to know."

Mrs. Howell smiled at her. "Well, thank you, Elsa. I'm very glad to hear that. I know there are a few more people in this building that would probably love to hear that as well."

After one more tight hug, Mrs. Howell nudged her out of the classroom. Kristoff followed behind Elsa, waiting as she went to all of her classrooms and talked to her teachers for a few minutes. By the time Elsa had told everyone, even the ladies in the office, she'd gotten more hugs than she'd had her whole life. She'd come in contact with more people than she ever had, though still no skin-to-skin. It was still hard to get used to, but she was more accustomed to it now.

It was at least twenty minutes after school let out that Elsa and Kristoff finally arrived at her car. Anna was sitting on the trunk again, playing a game on her phone. She jumped when Elsa popped her knee and scowled at her.

"Anna, how many times do I have to tell you not to sit on the trunk?"

The redhead stuck out her tongue, slipping off the car. "Where were you?" she asked.

Elsa smiled a little, glancing at Kristoff. "Just talking to my teachers, and the ladies from the office. I wanted to let everyone know that I was okay."

Anna smiled softly. "Ah. How did Mrs. Parsons react?"

"She cried," Elsa said, smiling sheepishly. "I kinda felt bad. I guess I didn't realize how much they all cared about me. I mean…" She glanced down, her smile fading. "I always felt like I was a burden, more than anything." She took a deep breath, then looked back at her sister. "Anyway, that's done. Got one too many hugs today though. I've had enough physical contact for a while, at least from people that I don't know all that well."

"Yeah, didn't think you'd turn down contact from Kristoff," Anna mumbled.

Elsa frowned and nudged her sister with her shoulder, blushing. Kristoff just chuckled. Elsa glanced at him, catching his gaze. His eyes were sparkling with emotion. The look he was giving her was intense enough to make her shiver. It brought back a few memories of the day before. After a few moments of silence, Elsa heard her sister snort with laughter. She dropped Kristoff's gaze, then turned to catch Anna rolling her eyes.

"You two…" She trailed off with a sigh, then sent Elsa a grin. "I'll be in the car. See you in a few, Kristoff."

Elsa watched her sister climb into the car, then turned her gaze back toward Kristoff. She blushed a little, but held his gaze. "I suppose…you'll come to the house, won't you?"

"Of course," he said, smiling. Stepping forward, he placed his hands on Elsa's waist and leaned in to give her a soft kiss. "Don't I always?" he asked quietly when he'd pulled back. He reached up to brush his thumb across her cheek, then backed up. "See you in a bit," he said, grinning.

Elsa watched him walk to his car, still in a bit of a daze. Her mind was focused on the events of the previous afternoon, goosebumps raising on her skin as she remembered every touch of his lips. Shaking her head to clear it, she took a deep breath and got in the car. Involuntarily, she let out a sigh, smiling a little. Anna snorted again.

"Wow. What a dreamy sigh," she remarked, raising an eyebrow at her sister.

Elsa stuck her tongue out, then started the car and headed for home. "You're just jealous," she said eventually, smirking.

Anna laughed. "Actually, yeah, a bit."

"You'll have it one day," Elsa said, smiling a little. "What ever came of that boy you were seeing a few summers ago? Hans?"

Anna shrugged. "Nothing, really. He was cute, but that was just about all he had going for him. He was a bit arrogant."

The rest of the trip home was relatively quiet. Normally, quiet moments with Anna meant that the redhead was either upset, holding in questions, or worried. But after their lengthy chat the night before, the two of them seemed to have become more comfortable with silence. Elsa felt completely at ease around her sister now, completely comfortable just being in her presence. Though by the time they made it home, Elsa could tell that Anna actually did have a question. She was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, a slight frown creasing her brow. Elsa waited until Kristoff had joined them inside before she called Anna on it.

"Anna, if you keep frowning, your face will get stuck like that," she teased.

Anna blinked a few times and glanced at her sister. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"I could tell," Elsa said, smiling. "What's the question?"

"Oh…well, I—" Anna broke off, glancing down at her feet. Her shy demeanor threw Elsa off a little. She was instantly wary. When Anna glanced back up, she still avoided her sister's gaze. "It's…well, you certainly don't _have_ to, and— well, it might make you uncomfortable…" She shook her head and glanced back at the floor. "Actually, you know what? Don't worry about it. It's not—"

"Anna," Elsa said softly. "Remember what I said last night? You can ask me anything. Promise."

Anna opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She closed it again, then shifted her stance and glanced back up. "Well, I was just wondering if…if you'd maybe consider showing me what happened when you…" She trailed off, then actually looked her sister in the eyes. "Your episodes, I mean. You don't have to," she said, catching the look of surprise in Elsa's eyes. "I just…if you don't mind showing me, I'd like to know."

Elsa glanced nervously at Kristoff. She couldn't really decipher the look in his eyes. After a moment of silence, she looked back at Anna. "Well, I…" She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I suppose," she said eventually.

Anna blinked, startled. "Really?"

"Yeah," Elsa said, nodding. She glanced behind her at the television. "Maybe we should go upstairs though. I don't know how well electronics can handle the cold." Reaching for Kristoff's hand, she led the way out of the living room and upstairs into her bedroom. She pushed the door all the way open, then glanced at her sister. "Anna, you should probably stay out here."

Kristoff glanced between the two of them before giving Elsa's hand a gentle squeeze. "Do you want me in there?" he asked softly.

Elsa bit her lip, thinking. She hadn't experimented with her magic enough yet to know if she could actually do this at will. She was sure she was capable of it, but she didn't know what exactly it would take to bring that out once again. She might need his touch to help boost her emotions up. She guessed that it might take her being overwhelmingly filled with love to accomplish this. "Yeah," she said after a moment.

Kristoff nodded, then walked into the room and climbed up on her bed, sitting in the middle and patting the space between his legs. Elsa walked into the room and shed her sweatshirt on the way, tossing it near her closet. When she'd seated herself in Kristoff's lap, she leaned back against him, taking a deep breath. He slipped his thumbs under her tank top, caressing the skin on her sides. After another deep breath, she glanced out into the hall at her sister. Anna was leaning against the wall across from the doorway, watching them with interest.

Elsa smiled nervously. "I've never tried to do this on command, so it might take a minute to get it going. And Anna…just so you don't completely freak out, my eyes…" She hesitated, biting her lip. "Well, they kinda do this weird glowy thing. So don't panic when you see that." She waited for her sister to nod, then took one more deep breath. "Well, here goes. It's about to get cold in here."

With that, she closed her eyes and relaxed. Rather than attempting to jump right into it, she focused on the feel of Kristoff's skin against her own. She let her memories of the previous afternoon wash over her, remembering Kristoff's gentle touch, the feather-light press of his lips against her skin, the heat of his breath against her neck. Goosebumps swept across her skin. The temperature dropped to well below freezing.

Elsa lost herself in her memories. She remembered his heated kisses, the hot trail of his mouth down her neck, the sweep of his tongue above the waistband of her jeans. A gentle snowfall began and ice spread out from where she was seated, gradually coating the floor and all the surfaces in her room. Still swimming in thoughts of Kristoff, Elsa opened her eyes. She let the snowfall thicken. With one last thought of his whispered "I love you", she completely let loose. The wind swirled around them, snow piled up in the corners of the room.

Elsa caught the look of wonder on her sister's face. She smiled a little and closed her eyes again, reveling in the feel of using her magic to this extent. It was absolutely incredible, the feeling infinitely more wonderful than anything she'd felt so far. It released every tiny bit of pressure that had built up in her chest. She felt so incredibly free. With a sigh of contentment, she finally decided to pull back the storm. As her thoughts were still focused on Kristoff, it was easy to pull it back. She slowed the wind and snow to a stop, then pulled all the ice and snow back to herself. A moment later, the room was completely snow free. She kept her eyes closed for a moment, her heart still pounding from the feel of using her magic.

"Wow," Anna said softly.

Elsa opened her eyes, catching her sister's gaze.

"That was incredible," Anna whispered, coming into the room and glancing around, as if looking for any leftover ice or snow. "Absolutely incredible."

Elsa smiled sheepishly. "It looks incredible now, but it didn't— well, I never really enjoyed it, until now. Before, all of that came with quite a bit of pain," she said softly, glancing down at her lap. Kristoff squeezed her sides gently.

"Yeah," Anna said sadly, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside them. "Well…Elsie, that was impressive. And your eyes. God, that was…" She trailed off, shaking her head. "I'm glad you warned me. It was a little intimidating. And intense. Don't get me wrong though," she said, glancing up at Elsa. "They're stunningly beautiful when you do that."

"Aren't they though?" Kristoff said softly, nuzzling his nose right behind Elsa's ear.

"Thanks," Elsa said softly, pressing back against Kristoff. They all sat there in silence for a few minutes before Anna announced that she was going to go downstairs to watch a movie.

"You guys coming?" she asked, pausing in the doorway.

"Just a minute," Elsa said quietly, looking over her shoulder at Kristoff.

"Right," Anna said disbelievingly. "See you in an hour or so, then. And please, keep it quiet. I have innocent ears," she added, smirking. She dodged the snowball that Elsa threw her way, laughing as she pulled the door closed.

Elsa huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, a flush heating up her ears and neck. Kristoff chuckled in her ear, pushing his hands farther under her shirt, palms flattening out against her stomach. He held her against his chest for a moment, then trailed his fingers across the skin above her jeans, making her breath hitch.

"So," he murmured, his breath hitting the skin behind her ear, "what exactly were you thinking about during that? Because your heart rate sped up quite a bit."

"Umm, just—" Elsa broke off, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. "You," she whispered. "And what you did yesterday."

Kristoff hummed, placing a slow, tender kiss against her neck. "Mmm. You know," he said softly, nudging her forward so he could pull her tank top over her head, "we _were_ rudely interrupted yesterday." He tugged his own shirt over his head, then gently nudged Elsa until she was lying down on the mattress. He pressed his body against hers, staring into her eyes. "Shall we try again?" he whispered.

Elsa swallowed thickly, then reached up to wrap her hands behind his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. In the back of her mind, she marveled at how different things were now. In the few months that she had actually allowed Kristoff into her life, she had done a complete one-eighty. She'd thought she would never get to this point, where her episodes were no longer an issue. And she'd certainly thought that she'd never be able to be in a relationship. As Kristoff trailed wet kisses down her chest, making his way to the waistband of her jeans, she decided that she was infinitely glad to have been proved wrong.


End file.
